Snow White and Her Children
by Jaenera Targaryen
Summary: Tokiomi Tohsaka didn't marry Aoi Zenjou. Instead, he married his cousin Valkolumi Edelfelt. Everything changes.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Snow White and Her Children

Prologue

"Hey, Rin?" one blonde teenager asked.

"Yes, Sakura?" her mirror image asked back.

"Do you have a marker pen?" Sakura Tohsaka asked.

"I don't know, do you?" Rin Tohsaka asked back.

Sakura raised a marker pen into the air, all too innocently one might even say. "I do." She said. "Do you?"

"As a matter of fact," Rin replied, also raising a marker pen in a similarly all too innocent fashion. "I also do."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Sakura asked.

"Why yes, I think I am." Rin agreed.

Then both of Tohsaka's Golden Twins leaned down, to where Shirou Emiya was sleeping soundly on the storehouse floor. Caps popped off the pens, and then they were drawing away on the sleeping young man's face. A monocle, a handlebar moustache, whiskers, dimple marks, a goatee, and finally a unibrow appeared one after another on his face.

Then the twins stood up, put their pens away, and shook hands in recognition of a job well done. "On three?" Rin asked.

"On three." Sakura said. The twins then looked back to the slumbering Shirou, and in unison, took a deep breath.

"One, two, three," they softly counted, before finishing with a shout. "WAKE UP, **HERO!**"

Shirou woke with a yell, squirming around on the ground before scrambling to his feet. "I'm up! I'm up! I'm up!" he yelled, still half-asleep. "Who's the hero? I'm the hero? I'm the hero. I…you two…"

Rin and Sakura both clicked their heels together, and threw mocking fascist salutes in his direction. "Good morning," they cheerfully chorused. "Mister Hero!"

Shirou sighed, running a hand over his forehead (and remaining blissfully unaware of his vandalized face). "Oh right, your mom left on a trip yesterday, didn't she?" he asked.

"What's wrong, Shirou?" Rin began, as she and Sakura glided over to stand to either side of Shirou, each latching onto one of his arms.

"You don't like us coming over to make breakfast like this?" Sakura followed-through, looking up at Shirou with a heartbroken look on her face. On his other arm, Rin did the same. It was…devastating.

"No…it's not like that…I mean…" Shirou stammered out, before letting out a breath in defeat. "You two are just too energetic in the morning. I can barely keep up."

"Then," Rin began. "Should we give you the time to catch up then?"

"I think we can spare the time." Sakura said. "We still have to cook breakfast, after all, and Shirou here still has to take a bath."

"Quickly though, before Fujimura-sensei arrives." Rin pointed out while stepping away and in front of Shirou.

"True, true," Sakura agreed while doing likewise. "If she finds out Shirou spent the night here, she'll get mad."

"Understandable, but…"

"…we can't let that happen."

"Otherwise Shirou will get down."

"And that's not good at all."

The twins then turned to face Shirou with matching smiles and gestures towards him. "Right, Shirou?" they chorused.

Shirou sighed, and gave them a weak smile. "Yeah, that's not good at all." He said. "You should start the day with a smile and a good attitude, otherwise you won't get anything done at all. Alright…you two go prepare breakfast, while I go wash up."

"OKAY!" the twins chorused before prancing off. Left alone to his own devices, Shirou sighed again before looking around him. Taking a few moments to arrange his things, having been left lying around after he'd fallen asleep tinkering with them during the previous night, Shirou then left the storeroom to take a shower.

Meanwhile, the twins were in the kitchen, busy preparing breakfast. Despite that, both kept their ears sharp for the inevitable reaction. And when it came, a yell of shocked and outraged surprise from the showers, Rin and Sakura bumped fists against each other with a grin.

_He's definitely awake now._

* * *

"Your mother went on a trip again?" Taiga Fujimura asked.

"Yes." The twins chorused from the other side of the table.

"Where to this time?" Taiga asked.

"More of the usual," Rin began.

"London, in the United Kingdom." Sakura continued.

"People to see," Rin carried on.

"Business to do." Sakura finished.

The twins shrugged in unison, and Taiga sighed. She didn't know if it was deliberate or not, but either way, the twins seemingly able to do things as though they were one mind in two bodies (up to and including finishing each other's sentences at times) was…disturbing, at worst. At best, it made dealing with them a pain at times, and always made it hard to read them.

That said, the twins were capable of being straightforward when they needed to be.

Speaking of being straightforward…

"SHIROU!" Taiga yelled at the top of her lungs. "YOU'RE SO SLOW! THE FOOD'S GETTING COLD!"

"Not really sure that's going to help." Rin observed.

"It does help when mother yells like that at us." Sakura countered.

"Yes, but that's mother." Rin pointed out. "Fujimura-sensei isn't Shirou's mother. No offense…"

"None taken." Taiga said with a sigh.

"Shirou should be finishing up by now." Sakura said while glancing at a nearby clock. Turning to the rice cooker next to her, she popped it open before taking the ladle with one hand. And with her free hand, gestured for Taiga to hand over her rice bowl. "We might as well eat ahead of him before the food gets cold."

"Well, it's his fault if all he gets are cold scraps and leftovers." Taiga said with a sniff, and handing over her rice bowl.

"I'm sure it won't come to that." Rin said, and handing Sakura her bowl after she'd given Taiga's bowl back.

"It won't." Shirou said while sliding the doors open and stepping into the living/dining room.

"See?" the twins chorused at Taiga, who was already busy stuffing herself. "Plenty of hot food left. Right, Shirou?"

"It sure looks that way." Shirou agreed while taking his place at the head of the table, and taking his rice bowl, handed it to Sakura.

* * *

"So why'd your mom go to the Clock Tower this time?" Shirou asked the twins as they washed up after breakfast. As usual, Taiga had bailed out immediately after eating, and left them to clean up on their own. Rin scrubbed and washed, Sakura rinsed and wiped, while Shirou put them away.

At Shirou's question, the twins looked at each other, a serious expression on their faces. "Not here," Rin finally said, and Sakura nodded.

"Not now," she added.

"We do not know who might be listening." They chorused.

Shirou raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you two reinforce the bounded fields around my house a couple of years ago?" he asked.

"Yes, we did." Rin confirmed.

"Except that…you know…" Sakura added.

"Your family's only been here for less than a generation." Rin continued.

"While other families," Sakura moved on.

"Like ours and one other," Rin picked up the baton.

"Even mom's nemesis," Sakura carried on.

"Have lived here for generations." They finished in unison. "And you know how that affects territorial magic, right?"

"Yeah, I do." Shirou said, before blinking in realization. "Wait, does that mean…?"

"What?" the twins chorused.

"…fine, I'll pass by your house after school then." Shirou said with a sigh of exasperation, and the twins grinned.

"Now that's more like it." They chorused again, and Shirou gave another sigh.

"Anyway," he continued with a cough. "Thanks for covering for me again this morning. I know, I know, you say it's only expected of you, but still. Thanks."

The twins beamed at him. "You're welcome, Shirou!" they chorused happily, and Shirou couldn't help but smile. If nothing else, moments like this were more than worth all the exasperation that came with the twins hanging around him.

* * *

"Let me guess," Ayako Mitsuzuri began while leaning down to Shirou's level. "Missus Tohsaka left town again, which is why you arrived at school with the twins this morning."

"Well, good morning to you too, Mitsuzuri." Shirou cheerfully said, even as he finished setting up what he needed for morning classes under his desk.

"Hmm…good morning…" Ayako said. "And good luck. You know how Ryuudo and Matou can be when the twins hover even closer around you."

Shirou sighed in exasperation. "Just what do they exactly expect me to do about it?" he asked rhetorically. "It's not like I can tell the twins to go away. First of all, that's rude. Second, it's not like they're causing me trouble, nor is there anything inappropriate between us."

"I'd be surprised if there were." Ayako said, before winking and throwing Shirou a thumbs-up. "That, and give your props for it."

"What?"

"You know Missus Tohsaka." Ayako said. "If she finds out there's anything inappropriate between you and her girls, she'd have you swimming with the fishes."

Shirou sighed. "Aunt Valkolumi isn't like that." He said. "I mean…sure, she gives off this cold and threatening vibe, but she's actually quite nice. Well, she's always been nice to me, and she warms up around Fuji-nee and Old Man Raiga the few times I've known them to meet."

Ayako hummed curiously at that. "Well, I'll take your word for it." She said. "Still, just watch your back. Ryuudo's probably only going to be an annoyance but Matou…"

Shirou winced as Ayako trailed off. "Yeah, I get what you mean." He said. "I'll see what I can do…and besides, you can talk. I'm pretty sure the past few times the twins ended up going physical on Shinji you were there with them…AGH!"

"Yeah…about that…" Ayako said with a cough, and letting go of Shirou's ear. "…none of your business…"

"Yeah, yeah…" Shirou grumbled before smiling at Ayako as the warning bell for first period sounded. "See you around, Mitsuzuri."

"Likewise, Emiya." Ayako said with a wave, before walking out of the classroom. All around Shirou, the rest of the class were busy settling down and getting ready for first period, with a few stragglers hurrying through the doors and to their seats. Shinji Matou was among the last, looking miffed at having to hurry, barely getting to his seat before the bell rang and the teacher entered the classroom.

"Rise." The classroom monitor said, and the class rose to their feet. "Bow."

* * *

"Hey, hey, did you hear?"

"No, I didn't. What happened?"

The twins were lying on the floor of the school rooftop, waiting for Shirou to arrive and join them for lunch. They lay opposite each other, their heads touching by their crowns, eyes staring up at the cloud-dotted sky.

"Satomi-chan's started going out with Matou."

"It's not going to end well."

"It never ends well."

"Should we talk to her?"

"We could, but it's never worked before."

"Yeah, they just say we're jealous."

"But when it all ends in tears and heartbreak…"

"…they always come running to us."

The twins sighed in unison. "Why are all our female schoolmates such idiots?" one of them lamented.

"Not all," the other twin said. "Ayako's pretty smart, and so are Yukika, Kane, and Kaede."

"That's a good point…why are the rest so stupid though?"

"Matou has a lot of money."

"So do we, but boys don't flock to us the way most other girls our age flock to Matou."

"Matou doesn't have mother for a relative."

"Oh now that's just mean. You can't describe mother like she's a repellant of some kind."

"Yeah, that wasn't nice. Still something to be thankful for though. I'd really rather not have to fend off some idiot trying to get into my skirt and wallet."

"Yeah right."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"If it comes to that, you'd just pile drive them into the ground."

"And you're one to talk? You'd kick them in the chin and send them straight to the dreamlands."

"I won't deny it. Would you?"

"No."

The twins giggled at that, and then turned their heads in unison to the door as it banged open. "Oh you're here." Shirou said as he stepped onto the roof. "Sorry about that, but my hands are full…"

"Shirou…!" the twins chorused, getting to their feet and rushing to Shirou.

"Oh it's no trouble at all!" one of them said.

"Yeah, the important part is that you're here." The other said.

Then taking him by the arms, all but dragged him to their usual spot. It was time to eat, after all.

Just another day in the life of Shirou Emiya and the Golden Twins.

* * *

A/N

Something a bit more lighthearted, in the spirit of Lent. Ironic, considering Lent isn't supposed to be particularly festive…

…anyway, major changes: Rin and Sakura are now twins. They're also blonde, like Luvia. And they're both packing Fs (while that's not really any different from canon in Sakura's case, Rin should be thankful that she's no longer just an A). They also have a different mother, as mentioned in the chapter (and which is the primary point of divergence).

But wait, whatever happened to Aoi? Kariya…? The Holy Grail War? Will there even be a Grail War? Well, you'll see eventually.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Snow White and Her Children

Chapter 1

"Welcome home, my ladies." A brown-haired maid in a green dress with a starched white apron and cap said with a bow. "And welcome back, Mister Emiya."

"Oh…good evening, Satomi-san." Shirou said with a bow to the head maid of the Tohsaka household. For their part, the twins just nodded.

"We'll be fine with something light, Satomi-san." Rin said.

"But, that can wait for later." Sakura added. "We have to talk about important stuff with Shirou right now."

"Understood, my ladies." Satomi said with another bow. "I'll have a tea set prepared and sent to the library then."

"Thanks, Satomi-san!" the twins chorused, and with a final bow the maid walked off. The twins then turned to Shirou. "We're going to go get changed now. Why don't you wait in the library? Feel free to get comfortable while you wait, and to do some light reading. You know the way, right?"

Shirou nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I do."

"Great!" Rin said.

"We'll be going then." Sakura said, and then the twins were hurrying off. Shirou waited until they were out of sight, and then proceeded to the library. Turning on the lights as he entered, he looked around for a couple of moments, and then heading for the couch, sank down with a sigh. Letting his head fall back, Shirou looked up at the ceiling and at the crystal chandelier hanging from it. He stared for a few moments, and then taking a deep breath, closed his eyes and allowed himself to fully relax, dozing off in a few more moments…

…then his eyes sprang open, unsure of how long he'd tottered on the brink of sleep. "Long day?" the manservant of the Tohsaka household asked as he crossed the library, and placed the tea set on the coffee table.

"Not really…just…your typical school day, I guess." Shirou said with a sigh.

Arnold just gave a smile at that. "It can be exhausting." The towering – just a couple of inches short of seven feet – manservant said with a surprisingly soft voice. "Schools in Austria or indeed, Europe in general, aren't much different from schools here in Japan. I'm no magus with your eidetic memories, but I remember enough."

"Hmm…I'll take your word for it." Shirou said with a nod. "But it's not all bad. I mean…it's a good kind of exhaustion, I'd say. It's from meaningful work, or rather study, after all."

Arnold smiled just a bit wider. "A very good attitude to have," he said. "But unsurprising, coming from you."

Shirou laughed. "Thanks," he said. "But you think too highly of me."

Arnold just hummed, and giving a bow, turned smartly and left. Shirou leaned forward, doing neck exercises for a few minutes to stave off sleep, and then turned his head as he heard footsteps approaching. A couple of moments later and the twins stepped into the library, dressed as usual in their blue, long-sleeved tops over dark knee skirts and matching leggings.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!" they chorused as they walked over, and sat down next to Shirou, one on either side. "Shall we have some tea first, before getting down to business?"

"Sounds good." Shirou said, already making to pour tea…

…only to be preempted by the twins. "Hey, hey, hey," Rin began. "You're our guest. You shouldn't be the one pouring tea."

"Hmm-hmm," Sakura hummed in agreement. "Let us do that for you."

Shirou gave a soft sigh, and then leaned back into the couch. The twins poured tea for the three of them, plain for Shirou, and with a touch of honey for them both. "Enjoy!" they chorused as they handed Shirou his teacup on a saucer.

Shirou nodded his thanks, and took a sip. He savored the hot liquid for a moment, and then took a longer drink, the caffeine in the tea helping keep him awake, to say nothing of its heat warming him up from the inside.

Beside him, the twins also drank their tea, and then placing their teacups and saucers on the coffee table, turned to Shirou. "So," Rin began. "Shall we get down to business?"

"Okay." Shirou said with a shrug, and another drink of his tea.

"Great!" Sakura said. "Now then…ever heard of Heaven's Feel?"

"No…should I have?" Shirou answered.

"Hmm…probably not…" Rin said. "It's a very technical term, used to refer to either of two things, more commonly for one than the other."

"And those are?" Shirou prompted.

"The first is the proper term for the lost Third True Magic." Rin answered. "Materialization of the soul, said to be the only mystery capable of granting true immortality, only it's been lost for over a thousand years. The Einzbern family of Germany were students of the last Third Magician, and retained fragments of Heaven's Feel until about a century or so ago. Even before then though, they focused everything they had on recovering the lost Third True Magic."

"Yeah…that's…not surprising…" Shirou said with a sigh. He wasn't a very good magus, but his father had taught him enough of the basics, and Aunt Valkolumi (and the twins) had helped fill in plenty of the blanks in the years since. Among those was the way magi thought and reasoned, as well as their goals among other things.

Including how magi treasured their mysteries ever so much. The older and more profound the mystery was, they treasured it so much more, even to the point that they would value it more than they would their own lives.

And True Magic…the ability to simply do the impossible…a power from beyond the World and existing outside of its laws…they were the greatest of all mysteries.

Small wonder that Einzbern would put everything they had to recovering their ancestors' teacher's legacy.

"No, it isn't." Sakura agreed with a nod. "But Heaven's Feel refers to more than one thing. And the second thing is what directly concerns us. You see, Heaven's Feel also refers to a Grand Ritual that takes place here in Fuyuki City every fifty years, called the Holy Grail War."

Shirou's eyes went wide. "Holy Grail War?" he echoed.

"Yes," Sakura said with a nod. "Long story short, it's a Grand Ritual wherein seven magi called 'Masters' summon seven Heroic Spirits as 'Servants'. They then fight it out to determine the rightful holder of the eponymous Holy Grail."

"It's not the actual Holy Grail, of course." Rin cut in before Shirou could ask. "As if the Holy Church would allow magi to hold it if it were the real deal, much less let magi actually put it up as a prize for a blood sport. We…well, we don't really know why the founders called it that."

"Well," Sakura chimed in. "Holy Grail is a synonym for anything that is greatly sought after, so that could be it."

"Possible…" Rin conceded.

"Wait, wait," Shirou said. "I don't understand. What's the point in getting the Holy Grail in the first place? To the point the participants would – in your own words – throw themselves into a blood sport to get their hands on it? What does it even do?"

"Three different questions for the same answer." Rin said with a sigh. "Well, it's a wish machine."

"What?"

"Exactly what Rin said." Sakura said with a nod. "It's a wish machine. It grants wishes."

Shirou stared at Sakura, who just stared back. And then Rin coughed. "Well," she said. "As Servants are killed, their bodies are dissolved into prana which is stored in the Grail. Once six Servants have fallen, enough prana is available for the granting of two wishes, one each for the Master and Servant both. So long as the wish does not trespass into the domains of True Magic, the Grail is capable of granting them."

Now Shirou stared at Rin. "Seriously?" he asked.

"Seriously!" the twins chorused, and Shirou rubbed at his eyes.

"…how are you even able to summon Heroic Spirits in the first place?" he asked.

The twins looked at each other, and then Sakura tilted her head. "Well," she said. "This is common knowledge for everyone who's heard of the Grail Wars."

"True," Rin said with a nod before turning back to Shirou. "We mentioned the Third True Magic and the Einzbern family earlier, yes? Well, that's how. They used their last fragments of the Third True Magic to allow participants in the ritual to be able to reach out to the Throne of Heroes, and summon Heroic Spirits therein to reality."

"Up to a point, of course." Sakura added. "Heroic Spirits are incredibly-powerful and profound existences. They can't be summoned as they are completely. So we have the Class System of Servants, based around seven concepts: Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Berserker, Caster, and Assassin."

"The Class System limits a Heroic Spirit's power to how it fits into the class they are summoned into." Rin explained. "This simplifies the summoning process…up to a point."

"It still takes the Grail fifty years or so to gather enough prana from the ley-lines of Fuyuki City to summon the seven Servants." Sakura said. "Even simplified with the Class System, virtually no magus is capable of powering the summoning ritual. The Grail does that, backing them up with the magus behind the summoning simply triggering and managing the ritual."

"And of course," Rin said. "A Heroic Spirit can reject the summons if they so wish."

"Or if it succeeds," Sakura said. "There's still the fact that Servants aren't truly alive, and that the True Magic used behind their summoning is incomplete. So they're essentially high-functioning spiritual familiars. And the Master must provide them with a steady supply of prana to keep them in the World. That prana requirement would only increase should they – the Servant – use their Noble Phantasms."

"Noble…Phantasms…?" Shirou echoed.

"Basically the crystallization of the legend behind a Servant or rather the Heroic Spirit." Rin said. "It manifests in various ways, usually as a weapon, but it can also take the form of a special ability or whatnot. Using one costs prana though…as Sakura said."

"And if a Servant ever runs out of prana…" Sakura concluded with a smile and sing-song voice. "SUDDEN DEATH!"

"…okay." Shirou said with a sigh and running a hand over his face. Taking his teacup, he took a deep and bracing drink. "That explains the how and what of summoning a Servant. Even the why…partly. A wish, huh? Hmm…well, no one ever said heroes were perfect. A chance to fix an old mistake, to get or do something they couldn't in life, or something else like that…"

Shirou trailed off with a series of nods and another drink of tea. "So how does this involve your family?" he asked.

"We're the Second Owners of this land." Rin said. "And long before that, we were feudal lords ruling over it."

"Wait…you mentioned the ley-lines earlier…" Shirou said in realization. "Does that mean?"

"Yeah," Sakura said with a nod. "Our ancestor and the first magus of the Tohsaka family, Nagato Tohsaka, helped set up Heaven's Feel. The other two founders were the Russian magus Makiri Zolgen, ancestor of the Matou family…"

"Wait, Matou…?" Shirou interrupted in surprise.

"Yeah, they're magi." Rin said with a nod. "Or at least they used to be. Nowadays though they've withered away. Mostly…they still have one magus left, but he's an old man…"

"Old Man Zouken from the PTA…?" Shirou asked dully.

"…yeah, that's him." The twins chorused.

"Okay…" Shirou said while rubbing his eyes. "You were saying?"

"The last founder was the German magus Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern." Sakura continued. "They also participated in the First Holy Grail War about a hundred and sixty years ago or so."

"Yeah…that's the part that bothers me." Shirou said. "If the Holy Grail is so…powerful, and can do so much, why should it be fought for in the first place? I mean…shouldn't it be used for everybody's sake?"

"Admirable," Rin said. "But unworkable: remember, there'd only be enough prana at the end to grant two wishes. And while it's possible – if _incredibly _improbable – to get seven magi to agree to a single wish, seven Heroic Spirits…"

Rin trailed off, but Shirou understood. "Yeah, I get what you mean." He said sourly.

"Past Holy Grail Wars were brutal." Sakura grimly said. "The Masters let themselves be consumed by greed and killed indiscriminately to try and get the Grail. The Third Holy Grail War especially, fought during WWII. Two of the Masters in particular each brought in either Waffen-SS or Imperial Japanese Army troops, both hoping to use the Grail as a weapon during the war."

"It was after that war that the Holy Church sent an Overseer to ensure future Grail Wars would be more…low-key." Rin said with narrowed eyes.

"…it's about to happen again, isn't it?" Shirou asked.

The twins looked at each other for a few moments, and then nodded. "Yes," Rin said. "The Fifth Holy Grail War is set to begin in a few months' time."

"…wait…fifth…but if the third war was during WWII…"

"Shirou," Sakura said with a smile. "There we finally get to business."

"Not once has the Holy Grail ever been completed." Rin continued. "Four times it's been reiterated, and four times it's ended in failure."

"The fourth war, for example." Sakura said, picking up the figurative baton from her sister. "It was supposed to be a low-key event, what with a Church Overseer present."

"Instead," Rin carried on. "The Grail malfunctioned at the very end, and exploded, turning a large chunk of our city to ash."

Shirou's eyes went wide, and he swallowed dryly, echoes of pleading and desperate voices, of crying and screaming amidst the crackling of flames and the crumbling of masonry, going through his head. There was phantom pain too, as though of fire licking at his flesh, of smolder burning slowly into his skin, of ash and smoke cooking his throat from the inside out, and the very air itself roasting him alive…

The twins failed to notice as Shirou struggled to reign his recollections in, and continued. "…the Fifth Holy Grail War is forty or so years ahead of schedule." Sakura was saying. "What does that tell you?"

"…something's gone very wrong?" Shirou weakly offered.

"Precisely." Rin said with a nod. "Grand Rituals are very delicate things. They have to be, considering just how profound their mysteries are, and the extent they are able to distort and even remake reality. Not to mention the sheer amount of prana involved."

"And as they are delicate things," Sakura continued. "With so many mysteries, concepts, principles, and the like functioning in tandem with each other, they can only deviate so much from a narrow and specific set of variable conditions for the Grand Ritual to work properly."

"Most important of all," Rin carried on. "Heaven's Feel really looks as though it's gone completely off the rails. Our guess is, the system was never meant to be used so many times, and ending in failure each and every time."

"It's already malfunctioned once." Sakura said. "And to a catastrophic result at that. Now it's starting early…so mother thinks it's time to draw the line. And I agree."

"As do I." Rin said with a nod.

"A line?" Shirou asked.

The twins looked at each other before answering. "It's time for Heaven's Feel to end, once and for all." They chorused.

* * *

_Shirou, if you really want to be a magus, then I guess it can't be helped. But listen, Shirou. Magecraft is a tool, but it's a tool that shouldn't exist. Keep that in mind, and with it keep your tool as harmless as it can be._

Kiritsugu Emiya's words echoed in his (adopted) son's head, and made it easier to accept the surprising revelation that his friends and the Second Owners of the city he lived in were prepared to discard their family's legacy. Well, maybe not so surprising.

_Well, like we said, Heaven's Feel can only grant wishes that don't trespass into the domains of True Magic. Since the whole point behind magecraft is reaching the Root, in that light Heaven's Feel doesn't really contribute anything to us being magi._

_And, while Heaven's Feel is part of our family's legacy, by this point it's becoming deadweight. Almost like cancer even, if the Grand Ritual is getting unstable and turning into a ticking bomb. So you could say that what we're planning is no different from cutting out a tumor._

_Or chopping off an infected limb._

_That too…and put like that, ending Heaven's Feel before it damns us all honors the family legacy more than continuing it simply because would._

_Now then…would you like to have dinner with us?_

Shirou smiled at the recent memory, before settling into his seat. He'd had dinner with the twins, and then they'd offered to let him use their family's car to drive him home. Shirou had tried to refuse, but the twins insisted, and so here he was, in the back of a Rolls-Royce being driven across town.

"_…guess I can't argue with the twins' reasoning._" Shirou thought to himself. "_Or for that matter, Aunt Valkolumi's. That said…I wonder if everyone else with a stake in this will agree._"

Shirou sighed at the thought, turning his head to look at the vibrant and glittering nightlife of Fuyuki going past as the Rolls-Royce went on its way. "_Then again,_" he thought. "_That's why Aunt Valkolumi went to visit the Clock Tower. To gather friends and allies, maybe even relatives, to back her and the twins up in case someone makes trouble over their plan._"

Then Shirou's expression hardened, his thoughts halting at what Rin had told him earlier.

_The Grail malfunctioned at the very end, and exploded, turning a large chunk of our city to ash._

Shirou's hands curled into fists, the young man clenching them as hard as he could. To think that that disaster which had killed so many people and injured so much more was the result of a magical ritual gone wrong.

No…more than that…

…that had been the _fourth_ time the ritual had been held, and while it had been the most destructive of all attempts to complete it, the previous rituals hadn't been spared their fair share of blood. Sakura had told him that much.

_The Masters let themselves be consumed by greed and killed indiscriminately to try and get the Grail._

"_I shouldn't blame the twins._" Shirou told himself while closing his eyes, pacing his breathing to regain his calm. It had been over an hour since the twins had told him all this, but it was only now that it really began to sink in. What they'd told him, and what it meant. And a part of Shirou wanted to blame the twins, to hold them responsible for their ancestors' irresponsibility in coming up with the Grail Wars, and place fault on them for everyone killed and hurt during those wars.

_Rain fell from a leaden sky, pouring heavily down on burning ruins. Steam hissed as the rain fell, water evaporating as it struck searing-hot stone and metal, flames spluttering as the water soaked into their fuel and drowned them into inactivity._

_Smoke rose in grey columns as the fires died down, and then subsided themselves as smoldering fuel was doused and cooled by the rain. A boy stumbled through the ruins, his clothes singed and blackened, burns dotting patches of exposed skin, his eyes and face alike blank from his experiences. Then as though the falling rain had doused him out as much it did the flames, the boy gave a whimper before falling backwards onto the muddy ground with a splash._

_For a long time __the boy lay silent, breathing weakly as he stared up at the leaden sky, uncaring of the rain falling on and around him, and splashing into the muddy ground. And then slowly, the boy closed his eyes, his breathing growing weaker, seemingly allowing himself to give way to the temptation to just let go. The rain continued to fall on and around him, the cooling air and the muddy ground stealing the warmth from his body, but it didn't matter anymore. All that was left was to wait for death to come for him._

_Then his eyes flickered open as mud splashed next to him, mixed with a man's pained and panicked breathing. The boy looked on as tears and rainwater mixed together on the face of the man looming over him, twisted with a desperate smile. It was the smile of someone who'd found what he was looking for, the smile of someone who'd suffered so much and was finally being saved from his torment._

_The boy looked blankly at the man for a long moment, and then closed his eyes again as his strength failed him once more._

Shirou took a deep breath, and slowly let it out. As he relaxed, his fingers unclenched themselves. "_No…I won't blame the twins._" He thought again. "_It's not their fault. They didn't build the Grail. They didn't fight in any of the Grail Wars. And what share their family has in the blame for the lives lost and hurt in the war will be taken responsibility for by ending it once and for all. Yes…that should be enough. Let it end there, and move on. That's the right thing to do, right dad?_"

There was no answer to the question, but Shirou smiled softly to himself, as though hearing an answer despite himself.

_Everything was burning. The city was burning. People were burning. He kept walking. He walked past the fires and through the ruins, ignoring the cries for help from all around him. He wasn't the only one there. But he kept walking. He walked past them._

_He wasn't in a daze either, driven purely by primal instincts of survival. It hurt. Exposed skin reddened and cloth turned black from the heat of the flames around him. His chest hurt as smoke and soot entered his lungs with every breath. But he could think. The boy was perfectly aware of everything that was happening around him. Even so, he ignored the pleas for help and just kept on walking._

_He didn't know who he was. He didn't know where he came from. He didn't know why he was there. He couldn't find the answers. He couldn't remember them either, if he even knew._

_All he knew was that he had to survive. He would survive, and live to see another day, while everyone else died. He would escape the pain and the suffering where others would not. He was a sinner, and he would know it later on._

_He would never forget._

_He kept on walking._

Shirou's face hardened in resolve at the memory of that terrible night, of all the sins he'd committed just to live on where so many had died. He wouldn't let it happen again, no matter what. Even if he had to die stop it, to throw himself into hell…

…he'd stop it if no one else did. He owed that much to everyone who had died where he had lived.

And…

_When I was young, I dreamed of becoming a Hero of Justice…saving someone means not saving someone else._

_Is that so? But, you're an adult, and adults usually give up on their dreams. That's why, for your sake, I'll make your dream come true, and become a Hero of Justice in your place._

_I see. I'm glad to hear that._

"_Let them try._" Shirou thought darkly as shadows danced over his face from the Rolls-Royce's movements. "_Let them get in the way if putting things right. I'll do my part, and making dad's dream come true, become a Hero of Justice._"

* * *

_Meanwhile__, in __Osaka to the north_

"Why's this kid so important anyway?" one freelancer – Jun – asked.

"Beats me." The leader of the group of five freelancers answered with a shrug. "You know better than to ask that kind of questions in our line of work."

"…fair enough." Jun replied.

The leader nodded, then gestured at the unconscious young man lying on the floor of the incomplete apartment they were in. He'd tried to lose them inside, not necessarily a bad idea, but unfortunately for him, the freelancers had had some tricks up their sleeve.

"Tie him up and cover his mouth." He said. "Not too tightly, mind. The client might have said it's fine if the kid gets roughed up a bit, but he's no good to us dead, and dead he'll be if he can't breathe."

"Got it, boss." Takumi – another freelancer – said before pulling some rope from the satchel hanging across his torso.

"Satoshi," the leader said. "Look him over. Jun and Hiro hit him on the head to knock him out. See if he's fine."

"Got it." Satoshi said, pulling out a pair of red-tinted glasses and putting them on. "Hmm…I don't see any sign of concussion or brain damage of any kind. He'll have a fair-sized lump in a hour or so, though."

"That's no problem." The leader said.

Jun glanced in Satoshi's direction. "See anything else about this kid?" he asked.

"Not much," Satoshi replied while taking his glasses off. "Though he's got some circuits on him. Not sure about the quality, or anything else that might be special about him, but he doesn't look or feel trained though."

"No, he definitely doesn't." Jun agreed.

The freelancers fell silent, looking on as Takumi and Hiro tied up their target. First his wrists and ankles each together, then his arms around his body. Finally, they used a simple handkerchief twisted up to gag the young man.

"Good," the leader said with a nod. "Get him in the van and let's get moving. It's a long trip south from here, and even longer if we're to avoid getting noticed. And that's the easy part."

"The easy part, boss?" Jun asked.

"Didn't you listen to my briefing on this job last week?" the leader answered irritably. "We cannot get noticed by the Second Owner, no matter what. They're not too friendly, according to our client. Now I'm good, but not that good."

"Sorry, boss." Jun said.

"Never mind that." The leader said with a dismissive wave. "Just get him in the van already. Move!"

The other freelancers hurried off, Takumi and Hiro carrying their target between them. The leader was the last to leave, looking around making sure they'd left nothing behind that could lead back to them – the target's parents would be reporting their son missing soon and then the police would get involved – before finally dispelling the simple bounded field he'd set up around the apartment.

Then hurrying after his men, the leader rejoined them just as they were loading their target into a plain white van. Getting inside themselves, the leader sitting in the front seat next to the driver, they finally drove off to finish their job.

* * *

A/N

A bit more serious this time, though still with some bits and pieces of comedy here and there. This isn't Carnival Phantasm, after all, though it isn't Heaven's Feel either.


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Snow White and Her Children

Chapter 2

"Hey…?"

Two sets of blue eyes turned in Shirou's direction, golden locks gently flowing with the movements of the twins' heads. "Hmm…?" they hummed questioningly in chorus with each other.

"I've been thinking about what you told me last night." Shirou said while replacing a set of freshly-washed bowls into a cabinet. "And while I think you and your mother have everything under control…well, I…I guess I just want to say that if you ever need any help, just ask. I might not be able to do much, but…well, every little counts, right? Besides, it's my city too. I have to look out for it too, in my own way. And you're _the _magical authority here so…"

Shirou trailed off as the twins smiled and glided over to him. "You don't need to say so much, Shirou." Rin began while taking one of his arms, her head resting on his shoulder.

"We completely understand what you mean." Sakura followed up, taking his other arm and also resting her head against his shoulder.

"And while we're flattered that you think we have everything under control," Rin said.

"You never know what might happen." Sakura then said.

"So thank you for the offer," they finally chorused. "And allow us to take you at your word if and when needed."

Shirou smiled back and nodded. "Don't worry," he said before giving them a wink. "I won't let it be said that I don't keep my word."

The twins giggled before letting go, and returned to their respective spots at the counter. Rin scrubbing and washing, while Sakura rinsed and wiped. "You not keeping your word?" Rin rhetorically asked. "How unthinkable!"

Sakura nodded in agreement. "I'm pretty sure pigs haven't started flying yet." She remarked.

"They haven't." Rin said.

"Oh? Then Shirou should be a man of his word." Sakura said.

"And he is." Rin said with a nod.

"As he should be." Sakura said, before both she and Rin beamed in Shirou's direction, who only laughed and scratched his head before he resumed stacking clean plates one on top of each other.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." He said. "But we do have a time limit, you know? I mean…we don't want to be late to school, do we?"

"Oh goodness no." Rin said, resuming scrubbing one of the pans used to cook breakfast earlier.

"Mother would never let us being tardy slide, especially since we have a car." Sakura said while rinsing the chopping board.

"And if she finds out we were tardy because we dawdled at your house," Rin worriedly said.

"There goes visiting privileges for the foreseeable future." Sakura just as worriedly finished.

"Well," Shirou said while lifting the stack of plates up to where it should be. "All the more reason to get to it. That said, let's not rush and get into accidents either. We're not really in any danger of cutting things close…yet."

"Point," Rin conceded. "But let's not risk it either."

"Agreed," Sakura said with a nod. "So chop-chop, everyone!"

Shirou laughed and nodded in agreement, his laughter taking a lot of the tension out of the air. The twins still worked hard and quick, though their shoulders were more relaxed now than they were a few moments ago.

It might not seem like much, but to Shirou, that looked like a success one way or another.

* * *

"_Sakura?_" Rin's questioning thought slipped into her twin's head.

"_Yes, Rin?_" Sakura threw a thought back into her twin's head.

"_Did you feel that?_" Rin asked.

"_Yes, I certainly did._" Sakura answered.

And the day had been going quite well too. They'd finished washing up to get to Homurahara Academy with fifteen minutes to spare, and while they'd had to deal with a surprise quiz in one of their morning classes, school had gone as well it usually did. Even said surprise quiz was nothing particularly troublesome, given the standards their mother, status, and birthright held them to, and which the twins were more than willing to live up to.

Then they'd had lunch at the rooftop with Shirou, before heading back down for afternoon classes. And so far the first third of those had gone as well as they usually did…

…until now, that is.

"_Seems like someone's trying to sneak into our territory._" Rin observed.

"_More than one from the feel of things._" Sakura remarked. "_But they really do seem to be trying to hide, aren't they? I can't really be sure without a closer look, but I can feel active mysteries in effect trying to keep whoever these interlopers are below notice._"

"_Agreed,_" Rin said. "_And it might have worked too…unfortunately for them, whatever they're using to try and hide just isn't good enough._"

"_No, it certainly is not._" Sakura agreed. "_Either they're underestimating us, or they didn't research and plan ahead properly._"

"_Neither of those are exclusive to each other._" Rin pointed out.

"_Point._"

Tohsaka had only been magi for less than two centuries, but the family had lived on and governed the land Fuyuki City now stood on for nearly three centuries. This gave them an affinity for the land unmatched by anyone else in the world. And Rin and Sakura's parents had taken advantage of that fact to further reinforce their authority as Second Owners.

Making use of mysteries shared as was only right and proper to a recognized and honored branch of the Edelfelt lineage of magi, Tokiomi Tohsaka and his wife Valkolumi Edelfelt-Tohsaka had conducted a series of rituals over a period of years across the ley lines of the territory. The result was a series of interlocking and overlapping territorial fields over the whole of Fuyuki City.

They were simple and basic compared to those of older and more distinguished lineages, such as those which protected and shrouded the ancestral Edelfelt lands in distant Lapland, to say nothing of the properties of the great Barthomeloi and Valueleta lineages elsewhere in Europe. The fields couldn't keep magi or other beings out of the territory (yet), or be used to cut them off from environmental prana unless a Tohsaka magus was in close proximity to the intruders, but the sensor functions were undoubtedly first class.

Unless the intruders or their mysteries had accumulated historical weight (or its equivalent) of at least five hundred years, they would be noticed and even tracked at will the moment they entered the territory. Though, that meant that the Matou, descended as they were from the five hundred year-old Zolgen lineage of magi, presented blind spots in the territory.

At least, their mansion did. As did the last magus of their family, Zouken Matou. Shinji Matou, having dud magic circuits, did not benefit from this protection.

Another blind spot was the Einzbern Forest at the edge of the city, as the Einzbern were a thousand year-old (if not even older) lineage of magi. Their magi were similarly able to escape the eye of the Tohsaka territorial fields, much to Tokiomi's chagrin during the Fourth Holy Grail War.

He was able to cut Irisviel von Einzbern off from environmental prana though, on the one time they'd met and fought. It had been a…unpleasant, surprise for the Einzbern magus, and which forced her to flee with her figurative tail between her legs.

A triumphant cause for laughter for the man and his family…if a bittersweet one, as he had recounted that tale to them on the last time they'd ever met, the last time their family was whole, towards the end of the war. Then Tokiomi had left under the red rays of the setting Sun, never to return.

Sakura fingered a pair of sapphires she'd slipped from a pocket. "_I'll send out a couple of familiars._" She said. "_Have them take a closer look._"

"_Isn't one enough?_" Rin asked.

"_Remember what mother always says?_" Sakura asked. "_Always have a backup._"

Rin laughed, the thought-sounds sending pleasant ripples through their minds. "_Good point,_" she agreed. "_Alright, you do that. In the meantime, I'll get in touch with Arnold-san. I think we might need his help on this._"

"_Good idea,_" Sakura agreed in her turn. "_Now then, let's get to it._"

"_Mm~_"

Smiling at her sister next to her (abuse of telepathy…or because it was the only way to hold a private conversation on this topic in the middle of class), Sakura raised a finger. Just one gesture, and no one in the classroom would notice anything she did until she let them.

Mental interference, plain and simple.

Rin pulled out a phone, and dialed their home number. She sat back in her seat, waiting for it to pick up. In the meantime, Sakura walked to the windows, cupping the sapphires in her hands. Holding them close to her mouth, she murmured an aria, the gems beginning to glow brighter and brighter as the prana within resonated with Sakura's words, mysteries becoming real and reshaping what already was into something else in line with the magus' design.

Then Sakura held out her hands, allowing a pair of sparrows to hop onto the windowsill. "Take a good look." She ordered. "And find out what you can."

The sparrows chirped their affirmative, and then flew off. Sakura looked after them for a few moments, then turned back to the classroom. The teacher continued to drone on unaware in front, the rest of the class studiously listening and taking notes (or giving the impression thereof).

"I've told Arnold-san to get ready to head out, just in case." Rin said as Sakura returned and took her seat.

Sakura nodded. "Now then," she said. "All we can do for now is wait for my familiars to report back on who these interlopers are, and then we can come up with a plan to deal with them."

Rin nodded in agreement. "As you say, Sakura." She said. "As you say."

Then Sakura raised a finger, and they returned to their teacher's and classmates' awareness. The twins resumed taking notes, as it would take some more time before Sakura's familiars could report back.

And they were still in class, after all. They might as well do what was expected of them as students while waiting.

* * *

Hours later, and Arnold was perched on top of a water tower overlooking the suburbs of Fuyuki City in the evening. Well, less perched as much as he was lying prone on top of a blanket, behind a M107 Anti-Materiel Rifle on a bipod braced by a stack of small sandbags.

"Dawn and Dusk, this is Farmer." Arnold said into a walkie-talkie, while holding a pair of binoculars to his eyes with his free hand. As he spoke, he kept his eyes on the nondescript white van driving through the suburbs as fast as it could get away with. "I have eyes on the sheep."

"Understood, Farmer." Rin replied. "Stop them in their tracks. We'll take it from there."

"Will do, Dawn. Good hunting."

Sakura's familiars had homed in the van as it drove through the city from the waterfront, with Arnold's own discreet inquiries revealing the van had arrived at Fuyuki by ferry from Osaka. The familiars had also confirmed active concealment mysteries coming from inside the van, at which point the sisters had decided to treat it as hostile.

Of course, they had to act discreetly. The supernatural had to stay secret, after all. And that meant they couldn't strike until the van and its occupants were out of the busy city proper.

But, hostile as the van and its occupants were, the twins also needed to know why it'd come to their city. And where were they going? Were they simply passing through? If so, then they and their employer needed to learn courtesy, by not so blatantly trying to run people and whatnot through another magus family's territory.

Were they delivering something to other magi in the city? There were three others the twins knew of, but if it was one of them, then they could just apologize later if it came to that. Or not: while those three magi in the city were known to the twins and had received their (or rather their family's) permission to study and reenact their mysteries in Tohsaka territory, that came with the stipulation that they do so within reason.

There should be no reason they'd be trying to hide from Tohsaka eyes the transportation of…cargo. Unless it was something illicit, of course, in which case reprimand and not apology would be forthcoming once the twins found out what it involved.

That…or there were other magi in the city. Magi the twins didn't know of, and had never received their family's permission to operate in the city. If so…

…then there'd be hell to pay.

And it certainly seemed that there would be, as the van moved through the city, considerably delayed by heavy traffic, before finally heading towards the suburbs their house was located in. No…not just their house…the Matou mansion was there…

…so either the Matou were doing illicit activities under their nose, or other magi were squatting nearby.

Neither could be tolerated. Rin and Sakura gave the order, and Arnold had gone out to provide support.

Arnold steadied his breathing as he zoomed in on the van through the M107's scope. At this distance, he didn't just have to take into account the fact that the target was moving, but also wind speed and direction, as well as the Coriolis Effect.

"_…steady…steady…steady…_" he cautioned himself, finger ready to pull the trigger. And then narrowing his eye, he held his breath. "_NOW!_"

The M107 fired with a sharp bang, the stock slamming hard against Arnold's shoulder. He kept his eye on the van regardless, and smirked a moment later as the .50 round punched through the thin steel of the van's hood, and smashing into the engine in activity, tore each other apart.

"Dawn and Dusk, this is Farmer." Arnold said into his walkie-talkie, watching the van bank sharply to one side, before tumbling over and over several times down the street until finally slamming to a halt against a concrete wall. "The sheep is down."

"Farmer, this is Dawn." Rin replied. "Good shooting, we'll take it from here."

"Understood, Dawn. Will standby to provide overwatch just in case."

"Okay, we'll leave it to you."

Nodding to himself, Arnold lowered the walkie-talkie before adjusting himself and once again pressing an eye against the scope.

* * *

Rin and Sakura lay prone on top of a house, technically trespassing but needs must. Besides, it wasn't like they were going to steal or break something. They'd even gone through the effort to erect a bounded field along the entire street, to keep the ordinary people from noticing the ruckus as they dealt with these…trespassers, on their land.

Yes, they knew and understood the irony that in order to deal with trespassers, they became trespassers themselves.

No, they didn't want to talk about it. Besides, weren't they pretty? So enough about trespassing already.

Rin held up an amethyst, while Sakura held up a piece of smoky quartz. They looked once at each other, and then nodding turned back to where the freelancers were clambering out of their wrecked vehicle, no doubt having used reinforcement to avoid getting seriously injured by the crash.

As one, the twins reinforced their bodies, and then threw the glowing gems through the air towards the freelancers. The gems landed on the ground, and then erupted in a blinding blaze of light. No, not just light, or the light the Human eye was able to see. The eruption reached high into ultraviolet frequencies, and low into infra-red.

The freelancers screamed as their eyes fried from the onslaught of visible light and ultraviolet radiation, while exposed skin bloomed with first-degree burns from the accompanying heat. And then Rin and Sakura were getting up, and jumping through the air.

"To victory or death!" Rin yelled.

"For Edelfelt!" Sakura followed-through.

"URAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" they shouted in chorus, as they bounded off a wall and up, flipping and spinning through the air to land lithely on electric posts spaced wide apart. Under their sleeves, crests flashed to life, even as the twins pointed down. Then dark projectiles erupted machine gun-like from their fingers, Finn rounds raining down and pummeling the helpless freelancers into the ground.

And just like that it was over.

The freelancers lay unmoving on the ground, a couple apparently unconscious, two more groaning and moaning piteously, while one vomited his guts out before collapsing into the stinking fluid. The twins jumped down, and meeting up right next to the fallen freelancers, shook hands.

"Nice shooting." Rin congratulated her twin.

"Likewise." Sakura said with a matching grin.

Then a gunshot rang out, and the twins whirled to see one of the freelancers now without a head, a divot punched into the ground next to him by a .50 round. A small revolver of some kind was held loosely in the headless corpse's hand.

Sakura pulled out a walkie-talkie. "Thanks, Farmer." She said.

"Just doing my job, Dusk." Arnold replied.

* * *

Rin grabbed the buckled doors at the back of the van, the metal crumpling under her reinforced grip. The metal then screamed as she simply ripped them free, and then tossed them aside. Inside the van, a bound, gagged, and bleeding young man of their age looked up and stared.

Rin stared back.

Sakura stared back as well.

The young man resumed struggling against his bonds, muffled noises coming from his mouth. Rin and Sakura looked at each other, and then shrugging, reached inside and pulled him out. A couple of minutes later and he was free, using a borrowed handkerchief to wipe blood from his face.

"Thanks for the rescue." He said with a bow. "And…um, can I have a minute or two, please?"

"Uh…okay?" Rin and Sakura uncertainly chorused, and the young man gave a startlingly familiar smile.

"Thanks!" he said, before approaching the freelancers…

…and promptly started kicking away, again and again. Rin and Sakura looked at each other, and then shrugging…

…joined in on kicking the freelancers, who could only groan and cry out as three teenagers kept on kicking them for two minutes straight.

"Woo…that was…I don't know…" the young man began once he'd worked his frustration out.

"Therapeutic…?" Rin offered.

"Cathartic…?" Sakura likewise said.

"…therapeutic works." The young man said with a grin before stretching his limbs. "I think they had me tied up in there for over a day now."

"Yeah…about that…" Rin began.

"…why were you tied up in the first place?" Sakura finished.

"I have absolutely no idea." The young man answered with hands held up in exasperation. "At least…when it comes to the details, that is. All they ever told me was that someone important – at least I think they are, given how respectful these guys were whenever they mentioned whoever their client is – wanted to see me."

"They must _really_ want to see you then." Rin dryly remarked.

"Well, they didn't take no for an answer." The young man said with a shrug. "Thanks again…though, where are we? And…who are you? I mean…I'm not trying to be ungrateful, but…um…are you…are you really in the business of saving people? And…why…?"

"In reverse order," Sakura said. "You're in our town, well, city…you get the idea. And no, we're not in the business of saving people, that's the police's job, unless it involves the supernatural. Which it does, since your kidnappers were freelance magi."

"Spell-casters, actually." Rin said with a disdainful sniff. "You are aware of the supernatural, right?"

"…I am." The young man hesitantly admitted. "I…my family, stopped being magi a while back. Dad…didn't really want to explain. I think something bad happened, our family got really burned, or something like that."

Rin and Sakura looked at each other, but after a few moments, Sakura shook her head. "Let's not get judgmental." She said.

"…hmm…fine…at least until we know more." Rin conceded before they turned back to the young man. "As for who we are, I'm Rin Tohsaka, and this is my twin sister, Sakura Tohsaka."

"And you're in Fuyuki City." Sakura finished with a grin. "Welcome! Though I am sorry you had to be introduced to our hometown like this."

"It's fine, it's the fault of neither of you." The young man said with a wave, before giving a polite bow. "Anyway…I guess it's my turn to introduce myself. My name is Hikaru Matou, pleased to meet you."

The twins' smile went out like a light. "Hikaru…_Matou_…?" they echoed incredulously.

Hikaru blinked. "Yes," he said. "Is there a problem?"

Sakura immediately pulled out her walkie-talkie. "Farmer, get the car here, now!" she said.

"W-what's going on?" Hikaru asked in growing worry.

"You are in serious danger, Matou-san." Rin said before giving him a small smile. "We'll explain, but first, we need to get you to someplace safe."

* * *

Shirou was washing up – it was just him and Taiga tonight since the twins had something to attend to – when the doorbell rang. "_Who could that be?_" Shirou wondered while wiping his hands. "_And at this time of night?_"

The doorbell rang again even as Shirou was walking through the front door. "Yes!" Shirou loudly said. "I'm on the way!"

Opening the gate, Shirou blinked. "Good evening, Shirou." Rin began.

"We need your help." Sakura finished.

"Can we come inside?" they chorused while indicating the uncomfortable-looking (and injured) young man between them.

Wordlessly, Shirou stepped aside, letting the twins and their…friend (?), through. Sharing a nod with Arnold (who was standing by the car), Shirou hurried after the twins.

"Okay, what's going on?" Shirou asked as he entered the living/dining room, where the twins were seated with their friend. "And who's this guy?"

"This is Hikaru Matou." Rin said. "And from the look of things, old man Zouken had him kidnapped."

"Probably to force him into becoming Matou's heir." Sakura added.

"Wait, what?" Hikaru asked.

"Your family didn't give up magecraft." Rin explained. "Or rather, the main line lost the ability to use it. Your cousin Shinji doesn't have magic circuits, and old man Zouken is the last magus they have."

"He doesn't have have _working _magic circuits." Sakura corrected. "From what I know, Shinji has magic circuits, only they're, well, _duds_."

"Yes, well," Rin said with a cough. "The point is, the main line of the Matou family is no longer able to produce new generations of magi. Though one way they can pass on their mysteries is by training apprentices in their Art, and through them carry on the legacy of the past. But…"

Rin trailed off, only for Sakura to carry on with a nod. "It's not true inheritance, because an apprentice wouldn't carry the blood of the Matou in them." She said. "Maybe it's being greedy, but…well, that's part of what it means to be magi. Each generation carries with them the legacy of the past not just in form, but in essence. Your own blood marks you as an embodiment of everything done by everyone who came before you in order to reach the point where you now stand, and from where it is hoped the path will be continued from."

"In short," Rin concluded. "Yes, an apprentice can learn the mysteries and carry on the form of the family's legacy. But they will never be able to inherit the family's essence, and with it, something…ineffable, will be lost, if the Art is carried on by someone not of the blood."

"…you two sound as though you sympathize with this…old man Zouken." Hikaru suspiciously said.

"We do." Rin immediately said.

"But sympathy and agreement are two entirely different things." Sakura added.

"We sympathize with his reasoning." Rin said.

"But we do not agree with his methods." Sakura said.

"Taking on the legacy of the past should be a choice." Rin said. "Because if it is forced, if it is not borne freely, then the inheritor will never be able to commit themselves fully to the obligation that comes with the legacy. They will always hold something back, nurture resentment and ill will within themselves, and perhaps even seek to destroy that which has been forced on them."

"If so," Sakura finished. "Then the legacy of the past might as well not have been carried on, or even if it is, it would have been stained and tainted by such…halfway, efforts."

"So…your parents gave you a choice whether or not to become magi?" Hikaru asked.

"No." Rin said with a shake of her head. "What we have the choice of leaving the path we are expected to take. There will be consequences, but our family will not stop us should we choose to turn our backs."

"And those consequences are?" Shirou asked.

"Well," Sakura said. "We'd stop being family. Everything else goes from there."

Hikaru snorted. "What kind of choice is that?" he asked.

Surprisingly, it was Shirou who answered. "Edelfelt is a magi family." He said softly. "There's no place in it, whether the main line or its many branches, for those who are not magi."

The twins looked at each other. "Well," Sakura said. "That's…something of an oversimplification, but essentially yes."

Hikaru hummed unhappily. "Is that why you're helping me?" he finally asked. "Is that why you're keeping me from falling into this uncle or whatnot of mine's hands?"

"Yes." Rin said with a nod. "Better the essence of the Matou lineage be lost by forcing old man Zouken to instead take an apprentice, or the whole of the Matou legacy cease to be, than to let it be carried on in such a way. Either would be a more dignified end, than to see it continue in such a…twisted, and debased fashion."

"That," Sakura continued. "And kidnapping is illegal."

Shirou and Hikaru's jaws fell open at such a…mundane, reasoning. "What?" Sakura asked with a twitching eye. "It is."

"We could probably find a way out of being charged with being accomplices to kidnapping," Rin said. "But it'd be really troublesome, and our mother would never let us hear the end of it."

"At the very least," Sakura said. "We'll keep you under old man Zouken's notice until mother comes back. Then…we'll see."

"So," Rin said with a smile that gave Shirou a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Shirou, do you mind hosting Hikaru-kun here in your house for a while?"

* * *

A/N

Now then, who could Hikaru's parents be? I'll give you two guesses, but you're only going to need one.

That bit about Tohsaka's territorial fields is creative license on my part, but one with a basis in canon. Territorial fields are a thing in canon, usually associated with really powerful Dead Apostles, but there's no evidence to say magi can't use them too. We already know that the Tohsaka mansion has powerful protective bounded fields, as does seemingly the Matou mansion, though the latter seems dependent on Zouken being there (Kariya couldn't get in until Zouken had briefly left or actively let him in).

There's also the Einzbern territory in Germany, which included not just the castle but also a large chunk of the surrounding portion of the Black Forest. From there, it's logical to assume that older, more powerful and more profound magi lineages could in fact erect their own territorial fields.

And ITTL, the Tohsaka have become a fully-recognized branch lineage (their proper name is the House of Edelfelt-Tohsaka) of the elder Edelfelt lineage (according to El-Melloi Case Files the lineage goes back to the Renaissance). Through Edelfelt, Tohsaka was able to get several mysteries that while taking time to put in place, gives them the in-chapter mentioned ability to detect and track any magus or being entering their territory without at least 500 years of accumulated historical weight or its equivalent.

That affinity for the land is canon, though. According to Nasu, having lived in Fuyuki for so long has given the Tohsaka incredibly affinity for and synchronization with their land. In fact, Nasu mentioned from there that if Tokiomi had been the Master for the fifth war and he'd been forced to fight Illya magus to magus, he could have significantly reduced her overwhelming magical power by using that affinity to keep her from accessing environmental prana. If he can do that to Illya, _the_ ultimate homunculus of the Einzbern family (according to Jubstacheit no less), then he can do the same to Iri as mentioned in the chapter.


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Snow White and Her Children

Chapter 3

"This isn't a no, mind you two, but why does Matou-san have to stay at my house? I mean…I get he's in danger, but wouldn't your house be safer? Also, are you really sure old man Zouken tried to have him kidnapped? And his name isn't just that? A name…?"

Shirou looked cautiously at the twins as he asked all this questions, the two blondes quietly taking them all in. "In reverse order," Rin answered after a moment. "No, it isn't just a name. He's got too many magic circuits for a mere first-generation, and there's only one established lineage that goes by the name Matou. So Hikaru-kun here is probably from a branch line that was cast out a while back. Only like we said earlier, the main line of the Matou can't produce viable heirs anymore. Add to that the kidnappers taking him to our part of the suburbs…yeah, we're pretty sure old man Zouken tried to have him kidnapped."

"And that's why our house isn't safer for him." Sakura said with a shrug. "We only live a few minutes' walk away from the Matou property, after all. Hikaru-kun is at much higher risk of being found out there and old man Zouken forcing the issue. Your house though, is here, on the far side of town. Hikaru-kun's at less risk of being found here than at ours."

"…how'd you know he has magic circuits?" Shirou asked after a moment. "Isn't that the kind of thing you don't just say to others?"

"It isn't…I think." Hikaru cut in with a nod at the twins. "I don't know much since I'm no magus, but I know just the smallest bit of the basics. That aside…they found out while they were patching me up."

"Yeah, that reminds me." Shirou said, turning to Hikaru. "What happened to you? I mean…where'd you get all those bumps and bruises, especially that cut on your forehead?"

Hikaru sighed. "I got banged up a bit when Tohsaka here stopped the kidnappers." He said before glancing at the twins. "No, it's alright. I don't blame you. You couldn't have known I was inside. If anything, I'm grateful you got me out of there. Somehow, I get the feeling if you hadn't, things would have gotten so much worse."

The twins nodded, and Hikari turned back to Shirou. "As for the twins finding out about my…circuits," he said. "Like I said, they found them when they were patching me up. Quite a surprise too, when they told me all about them…my dad's not a magus either, so we – my parents and I – assumed I wouldn't be born with magic circuits of my own."

"I'm guessing your mom isn't a magus either?" Shirou asked.

"Nope," Hikaru said with a shake of his head before grinning. "Perfectly ordinary…and, no offense to you three magi, but I was just fine with my perfectly ordinary life a couple of days ago, and would have preferred not getting dragged into this."

"None taken." Rin said with a nod.

"If that's the life you want to live, and the path you want to walk," Sakura continued with a nod of her own. "Then by all means: make your choice and face the future with your all."

"Agreed." Shirou said and nodding himself.

"Thanks…" Hikaru said while tapping his fingers against the table. "That said, I'm not really sure hiding is the best idea. It's not going to solve anything, after all. My uncle is going to be looking for me, and if he went as far as having me kidnapped, he's not going to hold back on his search. And my parents will be looking for me too…they might even put out a missing person's alert."

"He's got a point there." Shirou agreed while looking at the twins. "We need to step forward and get old man Zouken – if he is behind this – off Hikaru's back. Especially if his parents put out a missing person's alert. That could get real complicated, real fast."

"Oh?" Sakura asked with a raised eyebrow. "You have doubts that old man Zouken is behind this?"

"…the evidence just feels a bit thin to me." Shirou said after a moment. "It could still all just be a coincidence, and we're pointing fingers in the wrong direction."

Sakura snorted and shook her head. "There's no such thing as coincidence." she said in a matter-of-fact way.

"Besides," Rin said. "If you want proof…Hikaru-kun, smile for us, please."

Surprised, Hikaru glanced at Rin. "What?" he asked.

Rin smiled at him. "Smile." She said.

Uncertain, but knowing no reason why he shouldn't, Hikaru complied. It was hesitant and more than a bit confused, but it was a smile, genuine and honest in a way that seemed…out of place, coming from someone with the name 'Matou'. And Rin and Sakura _stared_.

"…oh wow," Rin eventually said. "He's got quite the smile."

"Nothing like that damn Shinji Matou, alright." Sakura agreed.

"You've lost me." Hikaru said.

"Likewise." Shirou agreed.

"Hikaru, smile at Shirou." Rin said.

Scratching his head and giving a sigh in exasperation, Hikaru did just that, and Shirou stared as well. "Huh…" he said. "If your hair and eyes were violet, I'd swear you could pass for Shinji's brother. As it is…you're probably his cousin, alright. And I'm really starting to think it's no coincidence anymore."

"See?" the twins chorused in triumph, and Shirou sighed. Hikaru though, just looked curious.

"You've mentioned a 'Shinji' several times now." He said. "And from the sound of things, he's my cousin…only you don't seem to be on good terms with him. Is there something I need to know?"

"He's slime." Sakura said quickly, before either Rin or Shirou could say anything. Then Rin snorted, and then actually laughed.

"Yeah…right…slime…" she said, before laughing some more. Shirou just palmed his face. Hikaru though, raised an eyebrow.

"That's…I don't know…" he fumbled. "…why would you call him slime?"

"He's a playboy." Rin said.

"You'd need five hands to count the number of girls he's played over the years." Sakura added.

"And we're pretty sure between two to four had to visit an abortion clinic after he was through with them." Rin finished.

"Hey!" Shirou protested. Shinji was his friend, after all…kind of. "That second part's too exaggerated. And that last bit's just a rumor, and you know it."

"Funny how the rumor went away after old man Zouken made generous donations to various…causes." Rin deadpanned.

"And even without all that," Sakura similarly deadpanned. "He's a bully and you know it."

Shirou made strangling noises in his throat for a few moments, and then took a deep breath. "…he's just rowdy, that's all." He said. "Shinji doesn't mean any harm…not really."

"Friend of yours…?" Hikaru asked.

"Yeah…is that a problem?" Shirou asked testily, and Hikaru held up his hands in surrender.

"Anyway," Rin said with a cough. "Going back to the main point…we'll admit Hikaru-kun can't hide forever. But we need to keep him out of sight until we can figure out how to deal with this issue properly."

"Can't you just…I don't know, do something formal to make old man Zouken drop it?" Shirou asked. "You two are the Second Owners, after all."

"Second Owner?" Hikaru asked.

"Basically magi with the responsibility to ensure the spiritual health of a certain area of land." Sakura explained. "In magi society, they also double as authority figures, in a semi-feudal kind of way, over that same area of land. And our family holds that position over Fuyuki City."

"Oh I see…thanks for the explanation."

"No problem."

"It's a not a bad idea per se." Rin thoughtfully said. "Unfortunately authority only has meaning if you have the strength to back it up. And right now, neither myself nor Sakura could decisively beat him. Oh I'm sure either or both of us could pull a few fast ones on him if it comes to it, but…not enough to make him back off for good."

"Won't he get into trouble for that though?" Shirou asked.

"He might…but even if he does, he'll more likely just get a slap on the wrist for it." Sakura replied. "Hikaru-kun's case exists in a legal loophole, you see. That is, old man Zouken is the head of the Matou lineage of magi, and both law and custom give him the final say when it comes to the disposition of his family members."

"We could narrow that loophole by having Hikaru-kun apply for formal asylum under us," Rin said. "On the basis that old man Zouken was…unlawfully, constraining him. Which he arguably did, by arguably having Hikaru-kun kidnapped from…um…"

"Osaka." Hikaru helpfully supplied.

"…thanks," Rin said with a nod, and Hikaru nodded back. "Back to what I was saying…old man Zouken had Hikaru-kun kidnapped from Osaka, and then we could grant his request. Problem is, Zouken could just take Hikaru-kun from us in that case, and making him retract his request, make all of us look like fools."

"But he'd have broken asylum!" Shirou exploded.

"Irrelevant after the fact if Hikaru-kun formally admits he didn't need asylum in the first place." Sakura said. "Also irrelevant is if there's evidence it was forced or not."

"That's not fair." Shirou growled.

"Life's not fair." Hikaru said with a sigh before pinching his nose. "So what do you suggest, Tohsaka-san?"

"Which of us?" the twins chorused.

"…either of you."

"Lay low for now." Rin said. "Stay out of sight, while we play interference. We'll inform our mother about this situation, and depending on what she says, we'll wait until she and our allies come back. If there's anyone who can make this go away for good, it's her."

Hikaru stared. "So…basically, tell to mommy?" he incredulously asked.

"Hey!" the twins protested. "We resent that."

"Sorry," Hikaru apologized. "That came out wrong…but that's also basically the gist of what you plan, right?"

"…fair enough," Rin conceded. "But mother has the knowledge and experience to come up with a permanent solution to this. And old man Zouken can't force the issue against her. Even if he duels her, he'll fry."

"Really?"

"Aunt Valkolumi was a vampire hunter before she got married." Shirou said with a shrug.

"_Vampire hunter?_" Hikaru incredulously echoed.

"Yup." The twins echoed with a nod. "She was also a soldier of fortune, bounty hunter, assassin, and even a saboteur from what she's told us over the years."

The twins paused and shrugged. "Nothing unusual, really." They said. "At least by Edelfelt standards. After all, we are _the _most elegant hyenas in the world."

"…okay…I'll take your word for it." Hikaru said, looking and sounding more than a bit creeped out. "But how sure are you your mom will help us on this?"

The twins raised their eyebrows. "Who do you think taught us the lessons on inherited legacy needing to be a choice, on the values of the Art's form and essence, and gifted us the choice to turn our backs at any time we choose to?" Rin asked.

"Besides," Sakura added. "Mother _dislikes _old man Zouken. Not really sure why, but between everything she's taught us and her own personal opinions – and on more than just one subject – she's all but guaranteed to back us up as far as she needs to."

"Most likely," Rin thoughtfully began. "She'll offer you asylum and make it official, and in such a way that any move against you will essentially be declaring war on the entire Edelfelt lineage. Matou's old, and through Zolgen as old as Edelfelt, but they're withered and aren't nearly as well-connected."

"Edelfelt…?" Hikaru echoed. "That's the second time you've mentioned that name. Who are they?"

"Finnish mage-nobles," Rin said. "Our family's married into them for two generations now, and we – the third-generation of Edelfelt-Tohsakas – are a recognized branch."

"And more to the point," Sakura said. "Our family is on very good terms with the great Valueleta lineage of magi, who know only Barthomeloi as an equal."

"I…I'll take your word for it." Hikaru said. "Okay…so I'm guessing if my uncle pushes once your mother grants me asylum, he's essentially declaring war, right? Semi-feudal society and all that, and the other lords will put him down for it."

"Pretty much," Rin said, before narrowing her eyes and looking at Sakura who'd also narrowed her eyes. "That said, even if old man Zouken gives way, he's never going to forgive us."

Sakura snorted. "To be honest," she began. "I don't like that man. Something about him just rubs me the wrong way. Very much so…so I'd very much like an excuse to have our family put him down once and for all."

"Sakura…!" Rin snapped.

Sakura briefly closed her eyes and shrugged, and Rin sighed. "Sorry about that," she said. "My sister…she takes after mother a bit too much."

"Humph…" Sakura snorted. "And you take after father: you trust too easily."

Rin turned back to her twin, but Sakura was already speaking. "Anyway," she said, addressing Shirou and Hikaru both. "Are we agreed then? We'll dig in and keep Hikari-kun out of sight, until mother comes back and we can put this issue to rest once and for all. Alright?"

Shirou and Hikaru silently looked at each other, and then turned back to Sakura. They nodded.

"Excellent."

* * *

Hikaru looked around at the room he'd been given by Shirou. It was neat and free of dust, clearly the result of regular cleaning. The room was a sparsely-furnished one though, with only a futon in the middle of the floor, an empty closet in a corner, and a low desk along a wall. A small clock ticked away on top of the desk.

Not that that was unexpected, considering the whole mansion was built in the traditional Japanese style. And both cleanliness and minimal furnishings were emphasized by that style.

Nor was Hikaru unused to it. He'd visited places like this before, usually on vacation trips with his parents to hot springs or country resorts, and places like those favored this style when it came to their buildings. It wasn't bad, but…

…not really something he'd like to live in for a long time.

"_Hopefully we can get this over with quickly._" Hikaru thought with a sigh. "_I hate to sound ungrateful but…this isn't really very comfortable._"

A mental snort followed that thought. "_Guess I'm just too damn modern for traditional types like magi._" Hikaru thought with a small smile. "_Shame…those Tohsaka girls were pretty, and really nice too…_"

Hikaru blinked and turned at the sound of footsteps. Soon enough Shirou appeared in the open doorway, carrying a set of clothes with him. "Hey there," Shirou greeted Hikaru with a smile. "Everything alright in here?"

"Yeah…I can be comfortable here." Hikaru said.

Shirou blinked. "Any problems I need to know about?" he asked. "I mean, you're a guest so…if you need anything, just ask."

Hikaru smiled. "Thanks," he said. "But it's not something that can be solved quickly. Unless you can get my uncle off my back for good here and now, and get me back to Osaka within the hour."

"Ah…I see…homesick…?"

"…guess so."

Shirou nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I understand." He said. "Sorry we can't do any more."

Hikaru waved him off. "It's fine." He said. "It's not your fault, or that of the Tohsaka sisters either. You shouldn't be apologizing. It's just…I guess it just can't be helped."

"Yeah, pretty much that." Shirou said with a sigh. The silence hung heavy between them for a few moments, and then Shirou took a deep breath. "Anyway…! All that said, you're still my guest, so if you ever need anything while you're here that I can help with, just ask."

Hikaru nodded. "And," Shirou continued while holding the clothes he'd brought with him. "From the sound of things, you could use a change of clothes. Underwear will have to wait until tomorrow, but these should fit you for tonight and tomorrow."

Hikaru accepted the offered clothes with a bow. "Thank you." He said. "I really appreciate this."

Shirou smiled and nodded. "It's no problem at all." He said.

* * *

"That was unnecessary."

"What was?"

Rin and Sakura were sitting in the back of the car, being driven back to their house. And now that they were alone, Rin decided to address a certain matter brought up during the earlier discussion.

"Your little outburst earlier." Rin said. "I know you completely agree with mother's opinion with regard to…Magus Matou, but considering the basis for it, it should not have been brought up."

"I dare to say the basis is more than just personal…intuition, now." Sakura countered. "It's no longer just a…vague, disquiet…elusive…elsewhere…"

"Because Magus Matou had someone kidnapped with the probable goal of forcing them into becoming his heir?" Rin asked, and Sakura glanced at her twin.

"Do you disagree?" she asked, and Rin looked away. She stared out the window, at the kaleidoscope of color flashing past as the Rolls-Royce drove through the city, and let their hypnotic haze ease her thoughts.

"Up to a point." She finally admitted, and turning back to Sakura. "There's no denying he's crossed a line. More than one, in fact. For one thing, kidnapping is illegal, after all. It can be swept under the rug with some effort and application of resources, but that is irrelevant to the fact. And, the plan to coerce someone into becoming a magus much less an heir…"

"But…?" Sakura prompted as Rin trailed off.

"…it doesn't really justify the degree of distrust you and mother hold for the man." Rin said after a moment. "If the both of you have your way, you'd have Magus Matou cast from our territory at the least for his recent actions…"

"And if you had your way, what would you do?" Sakura interrupted. "What do you think _father_ would have done?"

"…Matou is our ally." Rin said after a few moments' thought. "They helped us found Heaven's Feel. Even if the latter is no longer relevant and now deadweight to be cast off for the sake of the future, the legacy of the past cannot be completely discarded."

"And?"

"The old alliance may still have value." Rin said with a sigh. "A reprimand is no doubt due for Magus Matou's criminal actions, but while his methods are incorrect, the intention behind them is just. Or do _you _disagree?"

"No." Sakura said with a shake of her head. "I'm a magus too, after all. I know what it must be like, to see the legacy of the past, the work of centuries and the fruit of so much effort and so many sacrifices teetering on the brink…"

"Precisely," Rin said with a nod. "I believe father – and therefore _we _– should instead arbitrate and guide Magus Matou to the correct course of action. We are still allies, after all. We stand with and help each other."

"And the correct course of action being?" Sakura asked.

"Find a way to convince Hikaru-kun and his parents to acknowledge, accept, and carry on the legacy of the past of his own free will." Rin said before raising a hand to forestall Sakura's response. "Though given recent events that is unlikely to happen…convince Magus Matou to take on an apprentice. Admittedly the essence of past generations will be lost, but at least some measure of the Matou and Zolgen lineages will remain, in the form of their legacy. And perhaps, even be reborn under a different name, much as Zolgen was reborn as Matou in times past."

"…I can see father saying such a thing." Sakura remarked after a moment.

Rin stared at Sakura for a long moment, and then shook her head. "But you'd rather follow mother's lead, wouldn't you?" she asked.

"Yes." Sakura said while looking at Rin. "I would."

"Solely on the basis of personal intuition?"

Sakura hummed and smiled. "You know as well as I do that 'personal intuition' is one of the most profound mysteries of them all." She said.

Rin set her jaw, and then sighed. "In any case," she said. "Mother will make the decision once she returns."

"Yes, she will." Sakura agreed. "At the very least though, we're agreed on keeping Hikaru-kun safe from Magus Matou's coercion and the like, aren't we?"

Rin nodded. "Yes," she said. "On that we are agreed."

* * *

Even with how late it was, it still took them slightly over half an hour to be driven back to the Tohsaka mansion on the far side of the city. "Welcome back, my ladies." Satomi said with a bow.

"Did you get them all?" Rin asked.

"The survivors are currently being held in a secure location within the premises." Satomi replied, falling into step with her mistresses. "The lone casualty, however, has been placed in the workshop."

"Good, good," Rin said with a nod.

"What about the wreck?" Sakura asked.

"It has been taken care of." Satomi replied. "The damage to the road and surroundings remain, but without any other evidence left behind, and no witnesses to provide testimony, it should remain a mystery to the rest of the world, and which should fade away from public interest before long."

"Hmm…that's fine." Sakura said with a nod. "Thank you for taking care of all that for us, Satomi-san."

"I am honored by your praise, my lady." Satomi said with a bow. "If it's not too forward to ask, should I prepare materials with which to assist in questioning the surviving interlopers?"

Rin and Sakura came to a halt, but then looking at each other, Rin shook her head. "No," she said. "Keep them secure and in relatively good health, but that's it for now. We'll let mother handle the questioning and final disposition."

"Very good my lady."

Rin and Sakura nodded. "That said," Rin began. "That one casualty is a different matter. Seeing as he's dead, he's only going to be answering questions in one way. And I think Sakura and I can handle that on our own, here and now."

"Not to mention," Sakura quipped with a wry smile. "Making his body keep until mother comes back will a major pain in the neck."

"Very good my lady." Satomi said with a bow.

"We'll have dinner first." Rin said. "And then we'll deal with that casualty in our family's workshop."

"Yes, of course, my lady." Satomi said with another bow. "Dinner is ready, and can be served at your leisure. That said, I dare to say my ladies would want to freshen up before taking their evening meal?"

"Hmm…there's an idea." Sakura said, and Rin nodded in agreement.

"Agreed."

* * *

The Sun dawned over Fuyuki City come the following day through an overcast sky. The twins arrived to find Shirou already up and about, preparing breakfast for them all, though for reasons of secrecy, Hikaru would have to eat his share in his room (at least until Taiga had come and gone).

Rin immediately joined Shirou in the kitchen. Sakura though…

_Terra, mare, sidera,_

_et voces omnium qui vivunt in hoc mundo,_

_in via ad sidera resonat per repereris,_

_et orate: dona nobis pacem._

Hikaru looked on from the porch running outside his room, overlooking the yard to the back of the house. He watched as Sakura chanted spells in Latin, gems glowing in her hand, and as she finished, crushed them in her grip. Her circuits flashed once, and despite his own lack of training, Hikaru smelled the faintest hint of ozone in the air, and felt…something.

"Good morning!" Sakura greeted Hikaru as she walked by along the yard.

"Good morning." Hikaru said with a nod. "If it's alright, I'd like to ask what are you doing?"

"Reinforcing your host's bounded fields, that's all." Sakura said. "By the time I'm through, no one should notice that you're in here. Well, unless they come inside and see you. Or you leave the property for some reason, which you shouldn't, until we give the all clear."

"Makes sense…" Hikaru said with a nod. "Wait…so what if my uncle just walks in here?"

"What reason would he have to?" Sakura asked back. "I mean, even if he has suspicions we're holding you from him, it'd be more logical to hide you in our house, or one other place, and not here, the home of a second-rate magus."

"Second-rate?" Hikaru echoed with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, it's true. And Shirou would be the first to admit it." Sakura said.

"Uh-huh…you're bluffing my uncle big time." Hikaru said.

"Yes, we are." Sakura agreed with a nod. "Except that until our mother gets back, this is the best we can do."

"…I'll take your word for it." Hikaru sighed after a moment. "What's this 'one other place' you mention?"

"…that's our backup plan." Sakura admitted after a moment. "It's probably the safest place in the city, except…going there…might end up _really _complicating things. Mother wouldn't be pleased, and for more than that reason."

"…good to know, but that doesn't really answer my question." Hikaru said.

"…the local branch of the Holy Church." Sakura said with another sigh. "If they grant you sanctuary – which they will – then old man Zouken wouldn't dare force it. The Holy Church wouldn't give a shit about his legal loopholes or whatnot. For breaking sanctuary, they'd burn him at the stake after making him watch all of his family's research be burned before him. Not to mention an unhealthy amount of torture…"

Sakura trailed off, but Hikaru was nodding slowly. "I know the Church is in deep with the supernatural," he said. "So yeah, that makes sense."

"All of it?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, all of it." Hikaru said with another nod. "Anyway, sorry for interrupting, and thanks for answering my questions."

"No problem."

Sakura walked on, heading for the next seal to continue reinforcing the Emiya bounded fields. In the meantime, Hikaru went back to his room, and getting down on the floor, began doing some morning exercises. It wasn't like he had anything else to do anyway, and it did keep him busy.

Out in the Sun, Sakura held some gems in her hand, which began to glow as she chanted her aria.

_Terra, mare, sidera,_

_et voces omnium qui vivunt in hoc mundo,_

_in via ad sidera resonat per repereris,_

_et orate: dona nobis pacem._

* * *

A/N

It's update time!

Rin and Sakura show some individual distinctions between them here, as while they are twins and are codependent (for good or bad) up to a point, they're still individuals. Hikaru and Shirou also get along, though I'm not planning (and never will) for them to be anything more than friends.


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Snow White and Her Children

Chapter 4

"Worthless incompetents!" Zouken Matou raged, slamming a fist against his desk in fury.

"I completely apologize." A terrified servant forced out with head bowed. Zouken growled low in his throat while glaring at the cowering man.

"People do not just disappear into thin air." He spat. "Especially since our men reported back two nights ago that they had my grandson in hand, and again when they arrived at Fuyuki yesterday afternoon. No, this was deliberate. _Someone _stopped them on the way here, and did something to make it seem as though they'd just disappeared into thin air. And I want to know what, why, and who. I want my grandson and heir."

"Y-yes, sir!" the servant said with another bow. "I'll personally look into answering those questions, and bringing your grandson here where he belongs. That said…what if the culprits have taken his life?"

"For your sake," Zouken said with soft menace. "I hope they haven't."

"Y-yes, sir!"

Zouken made a dismissive wave, and the man bowed himself out. Alone with himself, Zouken let out a sigh of frustration. He shouldn't have to go this far in order to get a _proper_ heir. Not that he actually needed one, of course, but appearances had to be met regardless. The problem was that the lineage had all but completely withered away, with his most recent progeny being a mixed bag of success and failure alike.

Both had been born with magic circuits, but the elder of the two, Byakuya, had circuits of such low quantity and quality that he could barely perform the most basic of mysteries. Zouken had hoped that by marrying the man to a woman possessing the Inheritor Sorcery Trait, their offspring would be a proper placeholder for the position of family heir, but that had been for naught.

The younger of the two, Kariya, had started out with much promise. True, his quantity and quality of circuits were average, but he should have been able to manage more than just basic mysteries. He'd have made a proper heir, and Zouken had even planned for him to marry one of the Zenjou lineage, who possessed the ability to magnify any offspring's potential magical talent.

Kariya though had ended up a disappointment much like his older brother. He'd turned his back on the family, despite everything it had done for and given to him in his youth, and eloping with his fiancée had apparently decided to live a life of obscure mediocrity away from the supernatural.

Zouken had let him leave, finding the potential effort to track down and bring that foolish son of his to heel too troublesome at the time. Instead, he'd gambled everything on Byakuya's progeny.

Speaking of which…

"Grandfather…" Shinji said while entering the room, wearing an expression on his face that Zouken recognized as the one Shinji usually had when he was about to demand something.

"Shinji…what are you doing here?" Zouken asked. "You should be leaving for school already. You wouldn't want to be late, would you? That wouldn't reflect well on you, or our family name."

"I should be able to make it so long as I leave in the next few minutes." Shinji said. "But more importantly…I overheard that conversation you had with that flunky Yamada."

"Eavesdropping is a bad habit." Zouken remarked with a faint note of warning. Typically, Shinji missed or just ignored it.

"Grandfather," Shinji said with a building petulant note. "You didn't really send some people to grab my Uncle Kariya's son, did you?"

"Whether I did or not is none of your business." Zouken said.

"It is when it sounds like you're planning to make my cousin your heir in my place!" Shinji exploded. "My father was your eldest son! He sacrificed himself to try and win the Grail during the last Holy Grail War! I spent my whole childhood studying magical theory in my free time! I still do in fact! I can recite the whole curriculum for the Clock Tower's entrance examinations if you ask me to! Hell, I'll ace any of the mock tests provided as preparations for those exams! By all rights, I should be your heir, not some nobody who probably never spent even a few seconds studying all the magical lore our family's built up over the centuries! Much less the son of a disgrace who abandoned our family and his duty to it!"

For several long moments, there was only the sound of Shinji's heavy breathing. But as he calmed down, Zouken looked at him evenly. "Are you satisfied getting all that off your chest?" he asked, ignoring the way his grandson's eyes bulged at the casual dismissal in Zouken's words. "Whether you are or not, you should leave for school."

"WHY?" Shinji shouted. "WHY DO YOU KEEP REFUSING TO MAKE ME YOUR HEIR? WHY DO YOU KEEP REFUSING TO TRAIN ME PROPERLY? I KNOW ALL THE THEORY, HELL, I'VE EVEN DONE PLENTY OF EXPERIMENTS WITH ALCHEMY! SO WHY WON'T YOU TEACH ME REAL MAGECRAFT?"

Zouken set his jaw. "Break your own nose." He said, while twisting prana around the words.

The sound of breaking bone echoed across the room, followed by a cry of pain and the sound of a body tumbling to the floor. Zouken hobbled closer to where Shinji was rolling around in pain on the floor, clutching at his broken and bleeding nose.

Then the young man was gasping, as Zouken prodded him sharply in the belly with his cane. "Is that answer enough?" he rhetorically asked. "Even your father as worthless as he was with or without our…crest, would have been able to put up token resistance against the compulsion I just used on you. A second-rate like Emiya's son would have put up more than that, to say nothing of Tohsaka's Golden Twins or the heirs of other, equally-established lineages. The fact that you cannot even put up token resistance says it all: you are unworthy of being my heir."

Zouken withdrew his cane, and sneered at the resentful and frustrated expression on his grandson's face. "Make no mistake," he said. "You are still family. You are still of my blood. You still have duties and obligations to fulfill to us all. That is the only reason I indulge your childishness and petty pleasures. Eventually I will collect our family's due. But not as I would from a magus, because you cannot be a magus, no matter how hard you try to force the issue."

"A-a-and my c-cousin…?" Shinji gasped in outrage. "He can be one?"

"By all accounts, he can be a magus." Zouken said with a weary air. "Probably an average one, just like his father could have been, maybe more considering who his mother is. I will not know for certain until he has joined us…but I do know for certain he will be more useful in that sense than you or your father will be or have ever been."

Shinji grit his teeth and glared furiously in pain and humiliation…

…and then he was screaming, as Zouken jabbed his cane at his broken nose, moving as fast as a striking snake. The blow repaired the damage quickly, but it was painful, though not much more so if at all compared to the burning numbness of magic circuits in activity.

Yet more proof of Shinji's worthlessness in that capacity.

"You may go." Zouken dismissively said. "And be sure to wipe that blood off your face before you head out."

Choking back what were undoubtedly curse words of one kind or another, Shinji scrambled to his feet and ran out of the room. Zouken looked after him with an air of resigned disappointment. How could he not? Shinji had been a disappointment the moment he'd been born.

No, more than that. His very existence was a backhanded insult. For it wasn't so much that he didn't have magic circuits, as much as they were dead. They had no ability to produce prana whatsoever, though in theory – not that it was useful beyond the academic sense – they could conduct it.

Now if only there was actually something to conduct.

Shinji's mother had paid for that fact with her life. The worms had feasted well for weeks on end, until finally Byakuya had been allowed to grant her the mercy of a quick death.

"_In hindsight,_" Zouken thought to himself not for the first time. "_It was a mistake not keeping tabs on Kariya ever since he left, or letting him leave in the first place, for that matter. I wouldn't have to go this far if not for either of those._"

Sighing and shaking his head in regret for shortsighted mistakes made in times past, Zouken silently hobbled away.

* * *

The telegram crumpled in Valkolumi Edelfelt-Tohsaka's fist, which then slammed down hard on the desk in rage. "Two days." She hissed. "I've been gone for only two days, and that decrepit gnome already dares to throw his weight around? Does he think so little of our authority? I wouldn't be surprised if he does!"

"With respect, my lady," one the Edelfelt retainers present in the room with Valkolumi began. "While Magus Matou's actions do demonstrate a lack of respect for and recognition of proper authority and procedure, they are also well within his rights both as head of his family and as a magus."

"That said," the other retainer in the countered. "Neither do the actions of Ladies Rin and Sakura call for sanction and reprimand. As you yourself said, Magus Matou has demonstrated contempt for Edelfelt-Tohsaka's authority in their territory. On that basis, Ladies Rin and Sakura's actions were well within the bounds of their shared position of Second Owner."

"This is a delicate situation, Lady Valkolumi." The first retainer said. "Swift but considerate action must be taken to resolve it in a satisfactory fashion."

"You think I don't know that?" Valkolumi snapped, and throwing a glare at the man that had him backing away a step. Then turning away, Valkolumi took a deep breath to calm herself, before pulling her woolen shawl tighter around her shoulders. The telegram had arrived at three in the morning, forcing her to attend to this matter only in a silken nightgown. And with autumn already advancing, it was getting cold here in the London (though not nearly as much as it would be in Lapland far to the north), especially at this time of the night.

Silently making her way to the mansion window, Valkolumi stared out across the fog and shadow-shrouded expanse of the grounds, and beyond, to the rest of the suburbs in the pre-dawn darkness.

"We'll need to wrap things up quickly here." Valkolumi decided after a few minutes. "I need to get back to Fuyuki and take things in hand. Rin and Sakura can't handle that gnome on their own. Not decisively, at least…"

Valkolumi turned away from the windows, and transfixed the two retainers with her pale-blue gaze. "Inform Father McKinley I am willing to meet with him later this morning to discuss a decisive settlement with regard to the Fuyuki Grail's final disposition."

"Yes, my lady!" the two retainers said with a bow.

"Set up an appointment with the College of Law as well." Valkolumi added. "I will continue with my meetings with Lord Valueleta and company as planned."

"Yes, my lady!" the two retainers repeated with another bow, and Valkolumi dismissed them with a gesture. They bowed again and then left, pausing only to allow Luviagelita 'Luvia' Edelfelt to enter before closing the door behind them.

"Did something happen, Aunt Valkolumi?" Luvia asked. Much like her aunt, the Edelfelt heiress was only in a silken nightgown, though instead of a mere shawl she wore a full robe of wool to keep herself warm and modest while walking around out of bed.

"Unfortunate developments have taken place in Fuyuki." Valkolumi said in disgust, smoothing out the telegram and handing it to Luvia.

Luvia raised an eyebrow before taking the telegram and quickly reading through it. "…so Rin and Sakura dealt with trespassers on their land, big deal." Luvia finally said with a shrug.

Valkolumi gave her niece a dry look. "Did you even read the reason why they acted as they did?" she asked.

Luvia shrugged again. "I did." She said. "Magus Matou had someone kidnapped, likely a relative from a long-estranged branch line, with the goal of forcing them to become his heir. And in the process, risked the Masquerade."

Amused and impressed in equal measure, Valkolumi smiled a wintery smile. "Noticed that, did you?" she asked.

Luvia snorted. "Of course I did." She said, walking past Valkolumi to look out the window herself. "No matter how…sympathetic, his motivation for doing such is, and no matter how he was well in his rights to take such…liberties, with a branch line, the potential consequences of Magus Matou's actions would be much too visible. Oh I'm sure so long as the whole story doesn't get thrown into the public's face it shouldn't be too difficult to sweep the matter under the rug…but the point of the matter is that he risked the Masquerade in the first place. Put all of us at risk…"

Luvia trailed off with a shake of her head, before turning to look at Valkolumi. "If anything," she said. "My cousins are to be commended for taking the initiative and establishing a position from which measures can be readily taken to control and stabilize the situation."

"Yes, they've done quite well, haven't they?" Valkolumi softly said with a tone and expression of veiled pride. "Though it would be unreasonable to expect or ask for more than this from them on their own. Magus Matou is old and powerful. Rin and Sakura should be able to hold him off if it comes to that, so long as they use their heads and stay cautious. But that will be their limit, so I hope it won't come to that, at least not until after I get back."

Luvia raised an eyebrow again. "…you suspect Magus Matou will oppose your decision to disassemble the Grail of Fuyuki?" she asked.

"…his Matou ancestors did help my late husband's ancestors build it." Valkolumi said after a moment, and joining Luvia at the window. "And old men – and old magi especially – are very much set in their ways. It's unlikely he'd accept the reasoning behind my decision."

"…in the end though," Luvia said after a few moments. "You are the Regent for the Edelfelt-Tohsaka line of magi, until Rin and Sakura reach adulthood. And the Grail stands on your land. The final decision is yours, and you are not obliged beyond mere courtesy to consult with either or both of the other founding families."

"Yes…as you say, Luvia, as you say…" Valkolumi said with a nod, crossing her arms while looking up at the overcast skies.

* * *

Musical notes tinkled through the air, only to cut off as Rin answered her phone. "Yes, this is Rin Tohsaka." She lightly said into the mouthpiece. "Hold while I put my sister on the line."

"Yes, my lady." Satomi said over the phone.

Rin looked at Sakura, but she'd already pulled out her phone and was pressing it to an ear. A moment later and she gave a thumb up at Rin. Rin nodded back, and spoke into the phone once more.

"Sakura's on the line." She said. "Fill us in, Satomi-san."

"Yes, my lady." Satomi said. "As of ten minutes ago, the National Police Agency has issued a general, nationwide alert for the whereabouts of one Hikaru Matou. It is now officially and publicly a missing person's case. Any and all information should be forwarded to the relevant authorities."

"What about his parents?" Sakura asked. "Was there any mention of them?"

"Yes, Lady Sakura." Satomi said. "His parents are Kariya Matou and Aoi Zenjou, currently residents of Osaka City in Osaka Prefecture. We're looking further into their background even as we speak."

"Kariya…Matou…?" Rin echoed.

"At this point it's inferentially beyond question that Hikaru is of the Matou lineage of magi." Sakura remarked.

"Hmm…agreed…" Rin said with a nod. "…but how so still needs to be answered. As does why did Magus Matou have to go this far to get Hikaru-kun?"

"Basically what happened in the past?" Sakura asked.

"Yes…" Rin said with another nod. "Hopefully Satomi-san's investigation will get us some answers."

"We shall make every effort not to disappointment you, my ladies." Satomi said.

"I know you won't, Satomi-san." Rin said with a smile.

"So we'll leave it all to you." Sakura added with a matching smile.

"I am honored by your confidence, my ladies." Satomi said. "Well then…"

Rin nodded and disconnected the call, as did Sakura next to her. Then Rin walked over to the railing along the edge of the rooftop level, arms folded under her breasts. Sakura stayed further away, looking at her sister silently. The minutes ticked by with only the breeze to be heard.

"Well," Rin finally said. "Things have gotten really complicated, haven't they?"

"Understatement of the century, sister." Sakura said with a roll of the eyes. "We are now facing a potential Masquerade breach. And as the Second Owner of the territory where Magus Matou resides in, we have a share in the responsibility. After all, why couldn't we have prevented him from instigating this incident in the first place?"

"Add to that our involvement by rescuing Hikaru-kun from Magus Matou's thugs…" Rin said in exasperation before shaking her head.

"Maybe we should hand him over to the police?" Sakura asked, and Rin looked at her like she'd grown a second head. "What? It's not like Magus Matou could take him away from them, not with so many eyes on Hikaru-kun in such a situation. Add to that a…properly-doctored, story, and we can have the police take care of Magus Matou for us."

Rin snorted. "And Magus Matou would just use mental interference to make himself effectively invisible to anyone who isn't a magus, before taking Hikaru-kun away." She said. "Then the situation would escalate further, at Hikaru-kun just vanishing from protective custody, and this time with us on the back foot. After all, Magus Matou would have Hikaru-kun in such a situation, and we'd have exposed our hand."

Sakura nodded in agreement. "Well, now we know that idea is unworkable." She said. "Though, it does bring up one valid point."

"And that is?" Rin asked.

"So long as Hikari-kun is in our protective custody," Sakura said while joining Rin at the railing. "We can set the narrative. That gives us an advantage."

"…yes…I suppose the overall situation hasn't changed much." Rin said with a slow nod. "The stakes are higher, but all we still have to do is keep Hikaru-kun out of sight until mother comes back."

"Indeed…though we should update mother on the change in circumstances regardless."

Rin was silent for a long moment, and then nodded slowly. Before she could speak though, her phone rang again. Holding it up, Rin took a single look at the Caller ID, and swore.

"Shit."

* * *

"Haven't you found anything yet?" Zouken demanded.

"Please accept my apologies," the cowering servant said. "But while I have men chasing down my lead, I still have no proof to focus on."

"A lead, you say?" Zouken echoed. "Tell me all about it."

"Y-yes…my men were able to obtain the records of the ferry company and port authority." The servant said. "From there, we were able to find the vehicle and plate number used by the men sent to retrieve your grandson from Osaka."

Zouken nodded in understanding, and the servant continued. "We're still working on it," the man said. "But we're trying to obtain CCTV records across the city, along any and all routes from the port to this mansion. From there, we hope to follow their movements right up until they vanished, or more likely, were intercepted by a third party."

Zouken hummed and drew back in thought. After several moments, he nodded slowly. "Resourceful…" he said with veiled approval. "…very well, it holds promise, so carry on. But I want regular updates, understood?"

"Yes, sir." The servant said with a bow. "On another note sir, there is something else."

"And that is?"

The man looked very uncomfortable. "…the police may come asking questions." He said. "It is a matter of public record you are your grandson's grandfather, for all that your son prefers not to acknowledge the relation…"

The man trailed off with a deep bow, but Zouken waved him off. "It's a valid concern." He said dismissively. "I keep you around because you are useful, and not because you flatter me."

"I…yes, sir."

"Hmm…if the police do come poking their noses into this, send them to me." Zouken said. "I'll speak with them myself."

"I understand, sir."

Zouken gestured, and the servant bowed before leaving. Alone once again, Zouken rubbed his forehead in frustration. Not just at the apparent inability to find his grandson – though admittedly, he was perhaps being too demanding seeing as it'd only been a few hours since the search had started, and his servants were apparently competent enough at their jobs – but also at this new complication.

_Damn Kariya!_

_He should have never have involved the police in this._

_It's bad enough that his thoughtless actions in the past have forced me to go this far just to find a proper heir. I'd have thought fatherhood and life experience would have taught him subtlety and consideration, but once again he proves to be a disappointment._

_Now I have to watch my back in case those upstart Tohsakas or that false priest Kotomine realize I'm involved in this._

_To say it will cause problems would be an understatement, and for which I have no time to spare._

Fuming at his prodigal son's recent actions and their potential consequences, Zouken hobbled away.

* * *

"You don't really need to wash what you used during the day, you know." Shirou said as he walked into the kitchen after returning home from school, and saw clean china, silverware, and plastic containers sitting on a cloth next to the sink. "Just leave it in soapy water in the sink."

"Emiya-san, I'm already freeloading at your house." Hikaru said while muting the TV. "I should at least clean up after myself."

"You're not a freeloader, you're a guest." Shirou insisted.

Hikaru looked like he wanted to disagree, but he didn't argue. Instead, he changed topics. "You know I saw something interesting earlier today." He said.

"What was it?" Shirou said, while beginning to put away what Hikaru had washed over the day.

"Myself."

"What?"

"It looks like my parents filed a missing person's report back home." Hikaru said. "And now the NPA have sent out a nation-wide alert for me."

"Are you serious?" Shirou asked.

"Why would I make jokes about this?" Hikaru asked.

"Right…sorry…well this is…complicated…"

"Yeah, I know." Hikaru said with a sigh. "I'm not sure why, but I get the feeling showing myself to the police and telling them all about my uncle isn't going to solve anything at all. It'll probably only make things worse."

"Probably…" Shirou uncomfortably agreed.

"That said," Hikaru said with another sigh. "I'm worried about my parents. My mom especially. She's…a delicate person. This might sound like something from a cheap TV drama, but she's probably worried sick about me."

"…we should try and get in touch with them." Shirou said after a few moments' thought. "Let them know you're alright."

"Yeah…I want to…but is it safe?" Hikaru countered. "I mean…for all we know, my uncle could be counting on that to finally get at me. He's already tried to have me kidnapped. Would he stop himself from trying to use my parents against me? I…I don't want to get them into trouble. Especially my mom."

"…I don't know, to be honest." Shirou admitted with a sigh. "We…we should talk to the twins. They might have some ideas about this."

Hikaru nodded in agreement, and then tilted his head. "Where are they, anyway?" he asked.

"They went to see Father Kotomine." Shirou said. "They'll probably check in later, though I don't think they'll have dinner here."

"And Father Kotomine is…?" Hikaru pressed.

"A local priest of the Christian church." Shirou said. "I'm not sure about the details, but as far as I know he's the Church's representative here. Not really sure what's so important about this city that the Church would keep a representative here, but it's probably nothing important."

"That, or you don't need to know." Hikaru quipped.

Shirou laughed. "True," he admitted. "Though, that's not really a bad thing. I mean…not needing to know and not wanting to know don't have to be exclusive."

"Point…" Hikaru conceded. "That said, why'd the twins have to go and see him?"

Shirou shrugged. "I don't really know myself." He said. "I guess we could ask about it later, but it's up in the air if they'll actually tell us."

Hikaru shrugged. "I guess I can't argue with you there." He said, and Shirou nodded.

"Well, who knows? They also might actually tell us."

"True."

* * *

A/N

This chapter was…interesting, to write. Especially the parts involving Zouken _and _Shinji.

Anyway…yes, congratulations to those who guessed it ahead of this chapter. Hikaru's parents are Kariya and Aoi. Guess dreams really do come true, huh, Kariya?


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Snow White and Her Children

Chapter 5

"Ah…Rin and Sakura…I am gratified that you have responded to my request so promptly." Kirei Kotomine grandly said with a bow that had an ever so slight touch of theatricality to it.

"We have common interests in this matter." Rin said, walking up the central aisle to meet with Kirei before the altar, the priest glancing to where Sakura had stepped a couple of steps to the side. Sakura briefly met his eyes, before turning away while leaning against one of the pews, arms crossed over her chest. "I'm sure the Holy Church has no more desire than the Association has to risk breaching the Masquerade."

"Certainly not…" Kirei said with his usual oily smile. "And as the local representative of the Church, it's only expected I take the lead in carrying our share of this…developing, issue. Just as it is with you and your sister, as shared holders of the post of Second Owner for the Mages Association."

Rin hummed while clasping her hands behind her waist, and slowly pacing back and forth. "…our family's agents are already looking into the details," she said after a few moments. "But you may just already know what we're looking for, or at least some of it."

Kirei hummed in his turn. "…perhaps I do." He admitted after a few moments, and Rin stopped her pacing. "Though if you wish for me to enlighten your concerns, I will require specifics."

"Hikaru Matou," Rin said immediately. "And his parents, Kariya Matou and Aoi Zenjou. Do you know who these people are? And have you noticed any indication that Magus Matou may be involved in this incident?"

"I do not know of Hikaru Matou beyond what the NPA have publicly-provided." Kirei answered at once. "That said, I have already made inquiries into his background. His parents though…oh yes, of them I know. Though it has been a long time since I've heard either of their names…"

Kirei trailed off with deep breath, briefly looking up while holding his hands behind him. Then pressing his fingers together, nodded slowly, as though in reminiscence. "Kariya Matou is the younger son of Zouken Matou." He said, smiling ever so slightly as Rin's eyes widened and Sakura's eyes narrowed. "He was also the last hope of the Matou lineage of magi, as his elder brother lacked real talent in magecraft. Oh Byakuya Matou could manage the basics, and had enough talent to summon and sustain a Servant during the Fourth Holy Grail War, but…"

Kirei trailed off, while Sakura snorted and shook her head. "Yes…I remember him…" she said with a mocking tone and a light in her eyes all too reminiscent of her mother. "…or I remember father speaking of him the last time we met. If I remember correctly…father turned him to ash, didn't he?"

"So your father did." Kirei agreed with a nod. "But it should not have come to that, for as I said, it was long known that Byakuya Matou lacked real talent in magecraft. Their father decided early on to make Kariya Matou his heir. To be sure, he was of average potential, but that was still far superior compared to his brother. And average need not mean mediocre or untalented…your father's example proves that much."

Rin and Sakura said nothing, though both smiled fondly at the memory of their father. Tokiomi Tohsaka had made no attempts to hide his average talent in magecraft, and indeed, readily-admitted it. And yet for all that, genuine and dedicated effort not only allowed him to make the most of what talent he had, and earned him the respect and acceptance of the rest of the greater Edelfelt lineage the Tohsaka belonged to.

"As for Aoi Zenjou," Kirei continued. "She is the heiress to the Zenjou lineage of magi. Or former lineage of magi, I should say. They'd stopped practicing the Art a long time ago, and I myself am uncertain if they are even able to nowadays. That said, they do have a unique ability, one which actually had your father competing with Kariya Matou for Aoi Zenjou's hand in their youth."

"What?" Rin said, while Sakura said nothing, though she narrowed her eyes regardless.

"Peace," Kirei said with raised hands. "I make no insinuations against your parents, and simply state the facts. Indeed, the facts speak for themselves: your father chose your mother in the end, and you are the product of the love between the two of them."

"…fair enough," Rin said, accepting the figurative olive branch and moving on. "And? What is this unique ability that the Zenjou have, leftover from their days as magi?"

"I believe it is similar to the Ore Scales you and your sister possess." Kirei said. "Though in Zenjou's case, it was less the ability to effectively have two heirs per generation, as much as they could enhance the abilities of their offspring beyond the norm."

"I see." Rin said with narrowed eyes and slow nods. "I can see why father would compete with the Matou for such a prize."

"Indeed," Kirei agreed with a nod. "Though with your father choosing your mother in the end, Aoi Zenjou was ultimately engaged to Kariya Matou."

"Things seem rather straightforward getting to this point," Rin remarked. "But I imagine this is where things go off the rails, don't they?"

"Indeed," Kirei agreed again. "For a reason that is beyond my knowledge, Kariya Matou turned his back on his family. No, more than that, he took his fiancée with him, eloping into obscurity…at least until recent events, as we now know they started a life together in Osaka."

"…what reason could an heir to a centuries-old lineage have to turn their back on their family?" Rin murmured while pacing again. "Especially when they're effectively the family's last hope for the future?"

"Perhaps that itself is the reason?" Kirei observed. "Kariya Matou may not have wanted to place such a burden on himself and his fiancée, to say nothing of their future children. He may have simply thought a simple life in obscurity and normality was worth turning his back on his family's legacy and wealth."

"Possible…" Rin admitted.

"…that," Sakura chimed in while running a hand through her hair. "Or much like our mother with regard to Magus Matou, Kariya Matou too found a reason to distrust his own father. But either unwilling or unable to challenge the man, simply opted to flee rather than face…whatever it was…"

Sakura trailed off with a smile, while electrical discharges ran over her fingers. "…perhaps this incident will give us all a chance…" she murmured, causing Kirei's eyes to narrow and for Rin to look at Sakura disapprovingly. Sakura just shrugged and looked away, crossing her arms over her chest once more.

"…while I do not share my sister and mother's shared…antipathy, for Magus Matou," Rin said after a moment. "If he is involved in this incident, then yes, action will have to be taken."

"Oh?" Kirei asked. "You suspect he is involved in this?"

"His other grandson, Shinji Matou, lacks functional magic circuits." Rin said with a shrug. "And while Magus Matou could just take an apprentice, an apprentice lacks…something intrinsic, a blood heir has. Not to mention even if he successfully-trains an apprentice and said apprentice impresses Magnus Matou enough to convince him to name them as heir in Shinji's place…"

"…lacking a bloodline link, it'd be almost impossible for them to inherit the Matou Crest." Kirei said with a slow nod. "Yes…Zouken Matou does seem to have ample motive to be involves in this incident."

"Well, if he is then he's all but breached the Masquerade." Sakura retorted. "He's drawn attention to himself and his affiliates, which we are through our ancestors' shared efforts, and his motive for it too…invested, in our side of the world. You both know as well as I do the penalty for taking such liberties with the Masquerade."

"Indeed," Kirei agreed with a nod, before narrowing his eyes. "But while he certainly has motive, there is no proof as of yet that Zouken Matou is involved in this incident."

"Innocent until proven guilty, Sakura." Rin firmly pointed out. Sakura just grunted unhappily in response, while Rin turned back to Kirei.

"We'll need to find Hikaru Matou, then." She said. "Finding him and returning him to his parents should resolve this issue at the basic level. Giving the authorities some answers would also go a long way to divert their attentions away from where it's not wanted."

Kirei nodded. "If things go well," he said. "Then this could purely be a mundane affair, and the incident can be resolved quickly and quietly without further complications."

"But if it isn't?" Sakura asked, pushing off the pew and coming closer. "Regardless of whether or not Magus Matou was involved, if the kidnapping has supernatural circumstances, then can we count on your and by extension, the Church's support?"

"But of course," Kirei said with a slightly-offended expression. "Our…cooperation, with your family aside, the Church is in full support of the need to keep the supernatural a secret from the world at large. Whether or not Zouken Matou is involved, if the incident has supernatural circumstances as you put it, those behind the incident have put the Masquerade at risk. If so, they must be dealt with extreme prejudice, lest inaction merely encourage them to repeat their actions or worse in the future, and even set a bad precedent for others to follow."

"…yes or no would have worked, but thanks."

Kirei smiled. "You are welcome." He said. "And now I must ask: what do you intend to do going forward?"

"We'll keep our agents looking." Rin said. "What you told us is very helpful and clears the water a great deal, but we need to know as much of the details as we can if we're to plan and make our future decisions properly. Of course, we'll also have our agents start looking for Hikaru Matou. Like we said earlier, he's the lynchpin of this whole incident. Find him, and we can more than just begin bringing things back under control."

"We'll also keep mother informed." Sakura added. "It's only polite, after all. Not to mention we're not officially the Second Owners until we turn twenty, so she's still our Regent. And this incident might also cause ripples in the Clock Tower and greater Association, which she'll need to keep ahead of. It might affect her business in London otherwise."

"So I see." Kirei said with a nod. "Very well, it seems you have charted a cautious course for the near future. No, rest assured. It is a prudent and wise decision, considering your youth and with it your lack of experience. Until your mother returns, you are at a disadvantage should this incident prove more complicated than it appears. While I of course will assist you should it prove necessary, that may also cause complications for your family if my assistance went beyond a certain point."

"As you say," Rin said, and Sakura nodded.

Kirei nodded back, before tilting his head with a smile. "One more thing," he said. "There is the matter of the upcoming Holy Grail War…"

"…which won't be for a few more months," Rin interrupted. "This issue though is immediately-pressing. If we don't focus on it and it gets out of hand, we'll be lucky if we simply fail to prepare for the contest."

"Hmm…true…" Kirei conceded with a thoughtful nod. "Though I suppose that's even more reason to resolve this incident as soon as possible. If it has not been resolved before the contest begins…"

The priest trailed off on an ominous note, while the twins shared an indecipherable look between them. "If there's nothing else," Sakura said. "We'll take our leave."

"Very well then," Kirei said with a polite bow. "God be with you, and have a good night, Rin, Sakura."

The twins nodded at him, and turning away, walked out of the church.

* * *

"So how'd you like my performance?"

Rin and Sakura sat in the back of their Rolls-Royce, being driven back to their house from Kotomine Church. Rin glanced at her twin at the question, before giving her a wry smile.

"I'd say you were enjoying yourself a little too much." She said. "Though, I don't really mind, as we managed to pull the wool over Kirei's eyes."

"Hmm…the best lies have a grain of truth at their heart?" Sakura remarked, and Rin laughed.

"So it would seem." She said, and Sakura smirked. It quickly fell though, and the blonde looked out the windows at the kaleidoscope of the city at night passing by.

"…I know I've said this before," she began. "But I'm not very comfortable with Kirei's involvement. I might trust him more than I do Magus Matou, but only just."

Rin sighed. "Yes, I know." She said. "And just like you, I don't fully trust him either."

"But…?" Sakura asked with a small smirk, and Rin sighed.

"…yeah, yeah," she grumpily said. "While I'd normally trust Magus Matou more than I would Kirei, given Hikaru-kun's circumstances…"

Sakura's smirk widened further, and Rin gave her a look. "Regardless," she firmly said. "While we'll work with Kirei on this, we have to be the ones in control of the situation. Not him and by extension the Church. Kirei aside, if we let the Church take the lead in this incident, our family will lose a lot of face, no matter how much we plead our lack of experience.'

Sakura hummed and nodded in agreement. "Inconveniencing our family's not something I'd want to happen." She said.

"Indeed," Rin said with a nod. "Though, now that we have Hikaru-kun, and so long as we have him, we have basic control of the situation."

Sakura nodded before narrowing her eyes. "We also have to come up with an official narrative." She said. "That is, any suspicions that we already had Hikaru-kun in hand at this time must remain that: suspicions. Otherwise, it might become just as inconvenient as letting the Church take the lead in this."

Rin pursed her lips in thought. "Our alliance with the Church is likely to be less important once Heaven's Feel is no longer a factor," she said. "That said, it does make sense to avoid completely burning that bridge."

Sakura nodded, and leaned towards the driver. "Change of plans," she said. "Take us to the Emiya mansion."

"Yes, my lady." The driver said, turning the wheel to change course.

Sakura nodded her thanks and sat back, before glancing at Rin. Rin nodded in agreement, and then turning away, looked out the window in thought.

* * *

"Hey, you two." The twins chorused as they practically waltzed into Shirou's living room. "How are you getting along?"

"Just fine, thanks." Shirou said.

"Yeah, what Emiya-san said." Hikaru followed with a nod.

"Great!" the twins chorused while joining them at the table. Shirou dropped the volume on his TV, and then gave the twins a smile.

"So," he began. "How'd your meeting go with the people from the Church?"

"Well enough," Rin said with a sigh. "We've dealt with him before, so we have something of a working relationship to build on already."

"Oh?" Shirou asked, Hikaru looking curious as well.

"His name's Kirei Kotomine," Rin said. "He's only a parish priest, but he's also the ranking one among the few here in Fuyuki. He's also a member of the Eighth Holy Sacrament."

"_Former _member," Sakura corrected. "Though while we have no details, he apparently had quite the reputation when he was around our ages."

"And the Eighth Holy Sacrament is…?" Hikaru asked.

"Members of the Church given an exception to the blanket ban on the practice of magic." Rin said. "As you probably know, the Church considers magic heresy. They used to burn our kind at the stake whenever and wherever they could."

"Oh yeah…"

Rin and Sakura grinned, making starburst motions with their fingers. "NOBODY EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION!" they loudly chorused in English.

Shirou coughed. "Anyway," he said. "What did Father Kotomine want?"

Rin and Sakura shrugged. "He wanted to talk to us about this incident." The former said. "Much like us magi, the Church prefers to keep the existence of the supernatural from the rest of the world."

"And?" Shirou prompted.

"He also agreed to cooperate with resolving this incident if and when needed." Rin continued. "And while our respective investigations will remain separate, we also have an implicit agreement to coordinate them."

"I see."

"He doesn't know about Hikaru-kun being here, though." Rin added while looking at the young man in question. "As far as he knows, you're still missing, and we're also still looking for you."

"And the reason you didn't tell the priest is…?" Hikaru asked.

"…sorry, Hikaru-kun." Rin apologized after a moment. "We really do want to help you. It's just that…"

"There are politics involved." Sakura continued as Rin trailed off. "If we don't take the lead in solving this, and even more than that let the Church do, we'd lose face. That's on top of the other reasons we want to keep you secret for now."

Shirou looked very uncomfortable, while Hikaru stared impassively at the twins, who looked genuinely-apologetic. After a few moments though, Hikaru sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Well…I can't say I'm happy to hear that…" he said. "…but I know enough about your world to understand why you think that way."

"Again, sorry, Hikaru-kun." Rin said.

Hikaru sighed. "Thanks," he said. "But it's fine. I'm not so…naïve, to think the world is all black and white. I know that much from dad's work."

The twins looked curious, and Hikaru shrugged. "He's a freelance journalist." He simply said, and that was answer enough.

"…thank you for understanding." The twins chorused with a bow.

Hikaru nodded again. "That said," he began. "While I'm willing to cooperate so your family can get out of this without at least losing face, I'd like to take this chance to ask for something in return. Nothing much, but it'd mean a lot to me."

"Oh?" the twins chorused.

"Yeah…you see, my mom's a really delicate person." Hikaru said. "She's probably worried sick about me right now, maybe even literally. That's why…I'd really appreciate it if we can somehow get word to her or to both my parents, and explain this whole business."

Rin hummed in thought for a few moments. "It's not an unreasonable request," she said. "In fact, I'd say it's more than worth your cooperation."

"But…?" Shirou prompted.

"It has to be done carefully." Sakura said while crossing her arms over her chest. "Old man Zouken might even count on whoever rescued or kidnapped – from his perspective – Hikaru-kun getting in touch with his parents to find out where he is."

"Yeah," Shirou said while sharing a look with Hikaru. "We talked about that."

"We're not ruling out being able to do that just yet." Rin firmly said. "Like I said earlier, it's not unreasonable. We'll just have to think it over carefully to come up with a working plan."

"Take your time." Hikaru said. "While I want to get in touch with my parents, there's no point in doing that if it only makes things even worse than they already are."

The twins nodded. "Just leave it to us." Rin said.

"On another note," Sakura began. "Father Kotomine gave us some interesting information about your father and his relationship with old man Zouken."

"Huh?" Hikaru asked.

"Yeah, you see…"

* * *

"You were holding something back earlier, weren't you?" Shirou asked.

The three magi were in Shirou's workshop, Hikaru having insisted on being the one to wash after dinner to avoid simply being a freeloader in Shirou's house. In that time, the three magi retreated to this private place, supposedly as a surprise inspection of Shirou's research to make sure it wasn't going to go boom anytime soon.

Everyone knew that was just a pretext though. They just needed to talk in private, though Hikaru seemed to understand and made no attempt to pry.

"Kirei's also the Overseer for Heaven's Feel." Sakura said while prodding and rapping her knuckles against various plates of metal lying over Shirou's worktables. Then she blinked as she noticed some of the plates weren't made of metal, but of some kind of ceramic instead.

"Ah…I see…" Shirou said. "…he doesn't know about your family's plan to end the ritual, does he?"

"Not yet," Rin said while fingering a handful of lead shot she'd taken from a brass receptacle sitting on a shelf along the wall. "If only because we don't completely trust him."

"…him being a priest aside, I get the feeling there's more to this." Shirou suspiciously asked.

"He was father's apprentice before and during the Fourth Holy Grail War." Rin snapped. "He was supposed to watch father's back. Instead, he let some cutthroat slip past and stab father in the back."

"Father wasn't perfect," Sakura darkly concurred. "But he deserved a more dignified death than getting stabbed in the back."

"Mother's never forgiven him for that failure, and neither have we." Rin snarled. "There's a reason that man has never been allowed to step foot in our house for a decade now, and he never will again."

Shirou looked and sounded uncertain. "…people die in war…" he murmured.

"No excuse." The twins chorused.

Shirou sighed and decided to let the matter go. "One last question about Father Kotomine," he said. "Why would a priest and a former member of the Eighth Holy Sacrament at that apprentice himself to a magus? I mean…if he needed to learn magecraft, couldn't he have been apprenticed to some other magus in the Church's employ?"

"Yeah…we asked that question before too." Rin said. "Apparently, there's something…unique, about Kirei's magic circuits that made him unsuitable for training by normal means. We're not really sure we understand it ourselves…"

"…but his father – Risei Kotomine – was a friend of our father." Sakura said. "And he convinced father to take Kirei on as an apprentice."

"I see." Shirou said with a slow nod.

"In any case," Rin said with a cough. "While we don't necessarily count Kirei as a friend, he's still an official figure in the supernatural hierarchy, and the ranking one for the Church in this city. Duty demands we be professional, and so we will."

"Up to a point, of course." Sakura said. "We won't lose face to either the rest of the family or to magi society by letting the Church take the lead here."

"…fair enough." Shirou said with a sigh. He halfheartedly moved various specimens over the worktable he was standing next to, mostly ingots and coils of steel of varying grades, but also spheres and cubes of other metal like zinc, copper, silver, even gold and platinum. Then he blinked at an exclamation from Rin.

"What's this?" she asked, while pulling a dirty cloth thrown over a large object in a corner. "What the…?"

"Is that a riot shield?" Sakura asked with wide eyes.

"Kind of…" Shirou said with a shrug as the twins turned to him. "Hey, I might not be a good magus, but like I told dad and Aunt Valkolumi, I'll do the best I can."

"So this is your current project?" Rin asked. "A mystic code of some kind?"

"Uh…sure, let's go with that." Shirou said while scratching a cheek.

Sakura tried to lift the shield before turning back to Shirou with a scandalized expression on her face. "What the hell is this thing made of?" she asked. "It's so heavy!"

"Well, there is one-inch thick carbon steel plates on all sides." Shirou said with another shrug, walking over while reinforcing his body. Piercing pain exploded at the front of his face as blood vessels burst from his still-flawed reinforcement, and causing blood to flow from his nose, but Shirou just wiped it away without a care. "Then another two inches of solid concrete on the inside."

The twins' jaws fell open at Shirou's words, even as Shirou grunted while picking the shield up, sliding his left forearm into an attachment built into the back. "It still needs more work though." He admitted, looking at the twins through the narrow slit cut into the top of the shield. "For one thing, this eyehole on top is a weakness. And for another thing, I could use stronger alloy for the outer plating, and lighter but stronger material for the core."

"…is that why there are ceramic plates over on that worktable?" Sakura asked deadpan.

Shirou grinned with mild embarrassment. "Pretty much," he said, putting the shield back in its corner, before releasing his reinforcement. More blood vessels erupted, causing fresh blood to pour from his nose. He wiped it away, then blinked as Sakura stepped in front of him.

A moment later and he relaxed, Sakura activating her crest while gently pressing her fingers against his face. The healing spell sealed ruptured vessels and soothed bruised muscles, while also repairing micro-fractures in bone and cartilage.

"You should practice reinforcement some more, and _not _on yourself." She chided. "Even this much is too risky. What if you damaged your optic nerves or your eyes? Neither of those grow back, you know?"

"Yeah, I know." Shirou said with a laugh, before raising his hands at a frown on Sakura's face. "Don't worry! I got what you said, and I'll keep practicing while keeping self-reinforcement to a minimum."

Sakura sighed while Rin rolled her eyes. "You shouldn't self-reinforce until you've got it down pat." The former said. "But knowing you…"

Sakura trailed off and walked away along with her twin, and shrugging to himself, Shirou picked up the cloth from earlier to cover his shield. Then turning to look for the twins, walked over to join them as they stood around and murmured to each other over a sealed jar of mercury.

* * *

A/N

Kirei makes his appearance, and for once is the one getting fed bullshit instead of being the one to feed others bullshit.

And of course, Shirou will be Shirou, even if he's got better training this time around courtesy of the Edelfelt-Tohsakas.


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Snow White and Her Children

Chapter 6

Warmth filled the air of the Italian countryside in the spring, shining down with the sunlight from a blue sky dotted with puffy white clouds. Flocks of birds wheeled through the air, chirping as they went, or hopped as they pleased on the green fields and hills and the dirt roads which went to and from the towns and villages dotting the countryside.

Church bells sounded the hour, the joyous sound of children's voices soon echoing in the air as they were let out of the orphanage to play in the warmth and the Sun in the courtyard. A nun followed them out, smiling indulgently as she kept an eye on the frolicking children, all the while making her way towards a bench in an out-of-the-way corner.

Sitting down, she leaned back and relaxed, golden eyes keeping an eye on the children to make sure that even though they were allowed to act as they should at their age, they would not take it too far. And it wasn't long before exactly that happened, as a pair of seven-year old boys began to argue and hit each other over a mere toy.

In an instant, the nun was up on her feet, and quickly marching over to the two boys. "Now, the two of you stop that." She sharply admonished. Eyes turned to her, the playground going still and quiet, though Caren Ortensia smiled to take the edge off her voice, kneeling down to the children's level and gently placing her hands on their shoulders. "Friends shouldn't fight each other. Do you really think you can go to Heaven if you do?"

"Sorry, sister." One of the boys said, and the other boy nodded.

"Sorry, sister." He also said before turning to the other boy with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Zaccheo."

The first boy also smiled and nodded apologetically. "I'm sorry too, Marco." He said.

Caren smiled wider and nodded, getting to her feet while fondly ruffling the two boys' hair. "Listen," she began. "Violence is never the answer against your fellow man, except against heretics, heathens, and monsters. And even then, there's always a chance for the first two to repent, and atone for their sins."

The boys nodded, and Caren nodded again. "Now," she said. "I want you two to go to the chapel, and to each pray one Our Father for fighting each other, alright?"

"Yes, sister." They chorused, and with another nod from the nun ran off to do as they were told. Caren watched them go as the rest of the children resumed playing, and then turned towards the main building as she saw movement from the corner of her eyes.

"Sister Caren," one of the sister superiors began, standing next to a man Caren knew by reputation, dressed in the black and red robes of a Cardinal of the Holy Church. "Cardinal Graziano is here to see you."

"Yes, of course." Caren said, walking closer. "I am at His Eminence's disposal. That said, sister, if you could please watch the children while I'm gone…"

"But of course, Sister Caren." The sister superior said. "It's no trouble at all."

Caren nodded, walking forward to speak to the cardinal face-to-face, while the sister superior walked past to take over watching the children at play. "Cardinal Graziano," Caren began. "This is an unexpected pleasure I am honored by your presence."

"We should speak privately, sister." The cardinal said without preamble. "The matters to be discussed are not for the ears of the innocent."

"Yes, of course." Caren said with a nod, a degree of chill entering her golden eyes. "I completely understand."

The cardinal nodded, and standing aside, allowed the nun to lead him to someplace more private to speak in.

* * *

"To what do I owe this visit, Your Eminence?"

Caren and the cardinal stood in the empty dining room, opposite from where the diners would get their food from. "There's been some interesting developments in London." The cardinal began. "Valkolumi Edelfelt-Tohsaka has come to the conclusion that the false Grail of Japan's Fuyuki City is no longer of any value to her and her family. No, quite the opposite, in fact. She is of the opinion that it has become deadweight, if not a ticking bomb, which will only bring ruin to her family unless it's dealt with soon."

"I see." Caren said with a nod. "May I assume then that this information comes not from a spy or an informer, but was given to us in good faith?"

"You may," the cardinal said with a nod. "And you would be correct at that. The information comes from Father McKinley, the Holy Father's official representative in London."

"Then the matter seems fairly straightforward to me." Caren said. "We only ever allowed magi to compete for something that pretended to be the cup which caught the Lord's blood as He hung from His cross, because a) the artifact in Japan is a falsification, b) while ultimately of lesser value, said artifact is still considered…irreplaceable, by the magi powers-that-be, and c) following b, considering the location and the hollow nature of the artifact, it was judged that forcing the issue would not be worth the cost in resources and effort expended."

"Well-reasoned, sister." the cardinal said, sounding and looking impressed. "Though you miss one point."

"And that is?" Caren asked.

"Even with everything you've said," the cardinal began. "We'd still have forced the issue if only because of what the Fuyuki artifact is capable of. That is, the ability to grant any wish, no matter how twisted or benign, that does not trespass into the domains of True Magic."

"…whether twisted or benign," Caren said after a moment. "It is not for men to bend if not remake reality itself to such an extent, and in so doing, go against the Lord's will for the world."

"An oversimplification," the cardinal said. "But accurate enough."

"And yet even then we did not attempt to destroy the Grail," Caren said while closing her eyes. "As it ought to have been, but instead appointed an Overseer to ensure future contests would never descend to the same depths of…depravity, as the Third Holy Grail War descended to."

"…do you understand now, sister?" the cardinal asked as Caren opened her eyes once more.

Caren raised an eyebrow. "Forgive my impudence and presumption alike," she began. "But it seems to me that Your Eminence among others does not hold my father in confidence."

"Not as such." The cardinal said with raised hands. "Were Heaven's Feel to proceed as scheduled, we have full confidence in his ability to enforce the rules of the contest, and ensure that its power is used in an acceptable fashion."

"To reach the Root." Caren said with a nod. "And in so doing, expend Heaven's Feel in a way that does not distort the World to reflect one or another upstart magus' twisted vision of the future."

"Yes," The cardinal said with a nod of his own. "And therein lies our problem."

"Oh?"

"Reaching the Root is the ultimate goal of the magi," the cardinal said. "And while a fictional goal for many, for your father…between a…puritan, spirit derived from his past as one of us, and his own apprenticeship under Magus Tohsaka, we are confident in his refusing to support any compromise on reaching the Root as the only proper use for Heaven's Feel."

"Ah…" Caren said slowly with an equally-slow nod, her lips twitching ever so slightly into an amused smile. "So that's how it is."

"So it is." the cardinal said with a grim nod. "Also as a result of his apprenticeship under Magus Tohsaka, your father's willingness to allow Heaven's Feel to end without any resolution is in question."

"And Your Eminence wishes for me to ensure that he does have that willingness." Caren said. It wasn't a question.

"You are his daughter." The cardinal said in a matter-of-fact way. "While your grandfather's remarks on why your father sent you away in the first place may seem to point against it, that your father did so out of an admission that he lacked the ability to be a parent actually points in the opposite direction. Know Thyself."

Caren chuckled. "I am certain my father would be flattered should he hear Your Eminence speak so highly of him." She said. "I am also certain my late mother would agree with Your Eminence."

"In any case," the cardinal firmly said. "I do not think you will have much difficulty on this task"

"I am honored by Your Eminence's confidence," Caren said with a bow. "May I ask how is it that I have earned such praise?"

"It is less that you have earned, as much as your father has." the cardinal said. "As we'd previously-covered just moments ago, your father was one of us, and was one of us long before he came under Magus Tohsaka's influence."

"I see." Caren said with an amused smile. "So that's how it is."

The cardinal nodded, and Caren briefly looked away, out a nearby window. "May I assume that ensuring my father's cooperation with the plan to end Heaven's Feel is not my only role in this task?" she asked.

"Again," the cardinal said. "You are correct, sister."

"And what might my other roles be?"

"While Edelfelt-Tohsaka will take the lead in this matter," the cardinal said. "As the ones with the responsibility of overseeing Heaven's Feel, the Holy Church will not only cooperate with Edelfelt-Tohsaka's efforts, but actively assist whenever and wherever necessary."

"I see." Caren said with a nod. "So I am to assist my father in that regard."

"You are." The cardinal said with a nod. "You are young, sister, but you already have quite the reputation, whether it's as a caretaker for orphaned children, or as an exorcist."

Caren shrugged. "I merely serve the Lord to the best of my abilities." She said.

"So you do." The cardinal said. "But my point is sending you to simply deliver orders to your father and encourage him to remember where his loyalties should lie would be a waste of our time and your talents."

"Then I will be sure not to let it come to that, Your Eminence." Caren said with a small bow.

The cardinal nodded, though he narrowed his eyes. "Be warned, sister," he said. "There will undoubtedly be those who disagree with ending Heaven's Feel. For that reason, both we and the Association will be delaying a public announcement of our joint endeavor in that regard. But once you arrive in Fuyuki…once work begins…even before we make our announcement, it is quite possible opposition will surface almost immediately."

"…Makiri Zolgen…?" Caren asked with a distant look on her face. The cardinal silently nodded, and Caren sighed, shaking her head with a look of pity on her face. "Then perhaps it would be a blessing in disguise."

"A blessing in disguise?" the cardinal echoed.

"Well, yes," Caren said. "After all, it would be a chance to grant peace and absolution to such a lost and tormented soul."

"I see your point, sister." The cardinal said with a nod.

Caren nodded back. "Well then," she said. "I shall begin preparations as soon as possible. When do I depart?"

* * *

Golden rays of afternoon light shone down over the suburbs, and across the green grounds and wood and paper mansion of the Emiya property. Avian cries echoed through the air as a flock of birds flew past over the property, the animals headed for wherever they usually spent the night at.

"Is something wrong?" Sakura asked as she and Rin walked into the living/dining room of the Emiya mansion.

"…bored, I guess." Hikaru admitted after a moment. "Homesick too…I also miss my friends…"

Rin and Sakura looked at each other. "…sorry, Hikaru-kun." Rin began. "We…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Hikaru said. "You're doing everything you can, and you can't rush things either. I know…I just wish there's something I can do…"

Rin and Sakura looked at each other again, and sharing a nod, split up. Sakura headed into the kitchen with the ingredients for tonight's dinner, though she focused on making tea for now. Rin though, sat down with Hikaru at the table.

"Well…" Rin said. "I'm guessing you're tired of watching TV so…any hobbies you might have? Sports? Arts and crafts?"

Hikaru snorted and laughed. "Sorry…" he said. "Not really into arts and crafts, though I play football. Not competitively, but enough to play a good game with my friends."

"Football, huh?" Rin said, tapping her fingers against the table. "Well, while you can't go out to any nearby fields, there's plenty of open space here in the Emiya property. Enough for you to practice your footwork at in your free time."

"Hmm…now, there's an idea." Hikaru agreed. "Though, I'll need a ball for that. And seeing as Emiya-san's gone to buy me clothes today, I'd rather not ask for one. He's already given so much for me. It's…it's not right to ask for more."

"…point," Rin agreed after a moment's thought. "That said, I don't think me and Sakura have…contributed, as much as Shirou has. And we can't have that."

"You and your sister are already…" Hikaru began, only for Rin to interrupt.

"Yes, we're keeping you safe from your grandfather." She said. "And to get you home safe and sound as well, to say nothing of safely getting in touch with your parents. But none of those have shown results – except the first one, and only up to a point at that – yet, so we haven't really done much for you."

"…um…I…"

Rin smiled disarmingly. "It's fine." She said, before pulling out a peridot. "In fact, I can get you a football here and now, without having to visit a store or spend money for it. You even get to see me use magic on top of all that. So, what do you say?"

Despite himself, Hikaru looked curious at the prospect of seeing magic. "So…" he hesitantly began. "You can just make a football out of thin air?"

Rin laughed. "Oh goodness, no." she said, before waving the peridot she was holding through the air. "I'm going to use this gem to make a football. But I'll also need the dimensions of a football, say…circumference and diameter, and how much air should be inside."

"…I don't really know how much air should be in a football," Hikaru admitted after a moment. "Size…I guess between eight to ten inches?"

"Hmm…I suppose I could just optimize the other values based on the diameter." Rin said, running her fingers over the gem. Even as steam began to whistle from the kitchen, magic circuits on Rin's hand began to glow, followed by the gem as an electrical discharge from one of Rin's circuits arced between the circuit and the gem. "Let's see…let's set the diameter to nine inches. Circumference…twenty-eight inches. Air pressure…ninety kilopascals should do. Alright…now that we have dimensions: _Ausstoßen!_"

The peridot flared to blinding before seemingly shattering, only for glowing motes of light to swirl and flow through the air, forming a spherical shape. Electricity arced between the motes and to and from Rin's fingers, while a faint smell of ozone filled the air. A near-imperceptible breeze seemed to blow for a few seconds, and then the motes fell inwards, growing dimmer and gaining solidity.

And then it was over. The breeze died with the light and the electricity, though the smell of ozone lingered in the air. Smiling, Rin picked up the football, and offered it to Hikaru. "One football." She said.

Hikaru laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "…thanks." He said, taking the ball before getting to his feet. He bounced it around a few times, between his feet and then up into the air, bouncing it a few more times on his head before relenting at a cough from Sakura, the blonde emerging from the kitchen with a tea set in her hands. "Sorry."

"…it's fine." Sakura said, while walking over and putting the tea set on the table. "So long as you don't do that where there's fragile things nearby."

"Fair enough," Hikaru said, sitting down with his new football beside him.

For a few moments, the three of them sat unspeaking, only the sounds of china tinkling against each other to be heard. Then Hikaru nodded in thanks as he accepted an offered cup of tea, and made a sound of satisfaction as he took a sip. "Now that's some good tea." He said, before giving a wry laugh. "Funny thing is, before all this happened, I was never big on tea. Now though…it's only been a few days, but I find myself getting hooked."

The twins chuckled at that. "Not really sure if it's very appropriate here," Sakura said. "But experiences of all kinds are good to have. Or so I've heard."

Hikaru snorted in amusement, before taking another sip. "What about you two, though?" he asked. "Got any hobbies? Or…does being magi take up all your spare time?"

"Oh, not at all." Rin immediately said. "We have hobbies of our own. We're into wrestling and gymnastics."

"Huh…" Hikaru said while blinking in surprise. "No offense but…yeah, it's strange…"

"What is?" the twins chorused in curiosity.

"…wrestling and gymnastics…" Hikaru thoughtfully said. "…when you hear them together, your first thought is that they don't really go together…but when you think about it some more…they actually do work very well."

The twins chuckled. "Yeah," Rin said with a nod. "We thought the same too when we started. Turns out gymnastics really helps make your body flexible and your muscles strong."

"And what's better than either being really flexible or being really strong?" Sakura said with a wink. "Both."

Hikaru laughed and nodded. "Oh yeah," he said. "I can definitely see that."

Rin took a sip of her tea while shrugging. "Wrestling and gymnastics aside," she said. "We can both play the piano, though Sakura's actually better at music than I am. She can play the violin too, while I can't."

"I'm still not very good at it, though." Sakura said with a smile at her twin. "Besides, you're much better than I am at painting things."

Rin hummed in thought. "…guess I am." She said after a moment.

"Well," Hikaru said while warming his fingers against his teacup. "Dad did say a few times before that people are born better at some things than others are, but others can also be better at what they're not good at…if that makes sense."

"Oh it does." Rin said with a nod. "I'm still not sure how to feel about your father turning his back on your family's legacy, but I certainly respect him for having more life experiences than either me or Sakura do."

"Goes with being an elder." Sakura said before taking a sip of tea.

"Dad's not that old." Hikaru gently protested. "But I get what you mean."

Rin took a drink of her tea, and then blinked in realization. "Come to think of it," she began. "You mentioned you had friends earlier. Do you want to talk about them? It could take the edge off…"

"…or make it worse." Sakura interrupted with a chiding glance at her twin.

Hikaru hummed, and then lifting his teacup to his mouth, took a long drink. "…maybe some other time." He finally said.

"…sorry." Rin said with genuine remorse, but Hikaru just waved it off.

"It's fine." He said. "You meant well, so I can't really hold it against you."

Rin nodded, and Sakura drained her teacup. "Well," she said while getting to her feet. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to get started on dinner."

"Hang on, I'll join you in a bit." Rin said, already lifting her teacup to her mouth.

"Well then," Hikaru said with a nod. "I'll clean up this tea set and wash it while you're busy. My part and all that, you know?"

"We'll leave it you then, Hikaru-kun." The twins chorused.

* * *

"Bazett Fraga McRemitz…" Valkolumi said while going over the Enforcer's dossier, and then putting it down, looked at the woman in person. "…okay, welcome to the team."

Bazett blinked in surprise. "You…you have no questions for me, Missus Edelfelt-Tohsaka?" she asked.

"Your dossier speaks for itself." Valkolumi said with a shrug. "Fifty-three missions for the College of Law in just five years, and seventeen of which are beyond my authority to know about beyond the fact that they happened. The reputation of the Fraga and McRemitz lineages also speak for themselves…that, and I've been informed that you are the current Keeper of the Fragarach."

"I am honored by your praise." Bazett said. "And I give you my word that your confidence will not prove misplaced."

Valkolumi smiled. "I'm sure it won't." she genuinely said. "And it is I who is honored to work…no, more than that, to lead a team including one such as yourself. After all, my family only goes back about five hundred years or so. Your family, in contrast, goes back to the Age of Gods."

Bazett nodded slowly. "So it does." She said. "That said, while that is all well and good, I prefer to let my deeds and achievements in the here and now speak for me as opposed to letting the deeds and achievements of my ancestors do so."

Valkolumi chuckled and nodded. "True enough," she said. "We have to live up to the example they set, yes?"

"As you say, Missus Tohsaka-Edelfelt."

Valkolumi hummed. "That's a bit too wordy." She said. "Lady Valkolumi will do going forward."

"Yes, Lady Valkolumi."

Valkolumi nodded, and Bazett nodded back. "I trust you know what we might end up going against?" she asked.

"Other magi may seek to prevent Heaven's Feel from coming to an end." Bazett said. "And even with the delay in the official announcement of Association support for such an end…well, that's just it, isn't it? Only the official announcement is delayed. Unofficially, the news will be going around, if it isn't already."

"Indeed," Valkolumi said while tapping the coffee table with her fingers. "The rumor mill can be quite annoying sometimes, isn't it?"

"More than a few times if I may say so, Lady Valkolumi."

Valkolumi hummed in agreement, and after a moment, Bazett continued. "The other founding families may oppose the plan." She said. "Einzbern and Matou…there's also Franceska Prelati from the United States. Those are the most dangerous or most likely opposition we face…as well as those magi who, while not actually against Heaven's Feel ending, may take advantage of the situation to obtain fragmentary knowledge if not samples of its mysteries during and after its dismantling."

Valkolumi snorted in disdain at the thought. "Unfortunately true," she said in disgust. "Maggots and leaches…they might as well take some samples from Verdun's poison fields dating back to the Great War…"

Bazett stayed silent, and after a moment, Valkolumi sighed and nodded in apology. "We'll have to keep that from happening." She said.

Bazett nodded, and Valkolumi tapped her fingers against the coffee table again. "If possible," she continued. "Any and all components of the Grail should be destroyed once deactivation and disassembly is complete. If that cannot be done…said components should be placed under quarantine and thence into the custody of the College of Law."

"The College of Law, Lady Valkolumi?" Bazett echoed curiously.

Valkolumi looked at her evenly. "I certainly trust the College of Law more than I do greedy, upstart magi who don't even bother to understand – if they even know in the first place – why me and my family have decided to bring Heaven's Feel to an end." She said. "I trust you know and understand."

Bazett made a resigned gesture. "Between a past malfunction that turned half your city to ash and a potentially-early start to the next contest," she said. "It's pretty obvious that something has gone wrong with the Grail. Strange as it might seem, ending Heaven's Feel despite all its technical profoundness isn't just the responsible thing to do, but one that honors your lineages the most."

Valkolumi hummed but said nothing for a few moments. While she had no second thoughts about this course of action, she still suspected her husband would be rather…conflicted, at the least, about her decision.

_This is for the best, Tokiomi._

_That thing turned half of your city to ash, and took you from me and our children._

_I won't let that happen to either our children or grandchildren._

"…I'm glad to hear we understand each other." Valkolumi finally said, before getting up from her couch. Smoothing her skirt and internally grumbling at not being able to wear one of her beloved kimonos (if she wanted to be taken seriously by most of the people in the Clock Tower, at least outside of the Department of Creation), Valkolumi walked over to a nearby desk. "We'll be leaving tomorrow afternoon, so make sure to be ready by then. Make sure you have everything you need, and everything that needs seeing to here in the Clock Tower is seen to."

Bazett smiled at the firm and confident tone the orders were given. "By your command, Lady Valkolumi." She said with a curt bow.

"One more thing," Valkolumi said, walking back to Bazett and handing her a folder. Bazett took it, and eyed the written orders inside. "Go see my niece, and tell her you and her will be assigned together while we're in Fuyuki."

"Hmm…if I may speak freely?"

"Go ahead."

Bazett blinked in surprise at the abrupt change in the other aristocrat's way of speaking, and then coughed. "Do you want me to show her the ropes?" she asked.

Valkolumi smiled. "She already knows all about the ropes." She said. "She's an Edelfelt, after all. And we are _the _most elegant hyenas in the world."

"So…?"

Valkolumi smiled wider. "I want you to show Luvia how she still has much to learn." She said, and Bazett nodded.

"I can do that."

"Excellent! You may go."

"Yes, Lady Valkolumi."

* * *

A/N

She has arrived: Kirei Kotomine 2.0. And so has the Irish Superwoman.


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Snow White and Her Children

Chapter 7

Satomi presented several dossiers to Rin and Sakura, who looked at them with expressions of surprise and dismay. "Um…was the Matou family ever that big?" Rin asked.

"The main lineage is indeed composed only of Magus Matou," Satomi began. "Along with his estranged son and daughter-in-law Kariya Matou and Aoi Zenjou, plus his two grandchildren, Shinji and Hikaru. However, our investigation has led us to several other magi families in Japan, who may be considered branch lines of the Matou lineage of magi."

"May be considered?" Rin asked.

Satomi nodded. "Unlike proper branch families," she began. "They did not receive crest fragments from the main line. Instead, they simply married into, or took Matou daughters as wives in times past."

"Less branches and more allies and relatives by marriage then." Sakura murmured. "In hindsight, that's not a surprise."

"Hmm…true…" Rin thoughtfully agreed. "…we already know Magus Matou has other properties elsewhere in Japan…"

"Only in Japan though?" Sakura asked worriedly. "I mean…Matou is older than we are, and yet we've managed to marry into the elder Edelfelt lineage of magi. Surely Matou is more than capable of the same."

"We did look into the possibility." Satomi said, and causing Rin and Sakura to turn to her. "Our investigation has led us to two magi families in the Ukraine, not descended from or married into or with the Matou, but sharing the same parent lineage. That is, the elder Zolgen lineage of magi."

Satomi paused and slightly lifted the tray on which the dossiers rested for emphasis. "The details are in the dossiers." She said. "I've also separated them, with the dossiers for Kariya Matou and Aoi Zenjou to the left, and the ones on the right being of related or allied families of the Matou."

Rin nodded slowly while Sakura took the tray from Satomi. Another maid then stepped forward, carrying a clipboard with her. "Ladies Rin and Sakura," she began. "We've received a telegram from Lady Valkolumi in London. Its authenticity has been confirmed."

"What does mother say?" Rin asked.

"She'll be departing from London at four in the afternoon tomorrow." The maid. "Depending on the flight's progress, she should be arriving at the same time the day after tomorrow. A number of allies will be accompanying her, and we are to prepare to accommodate them on their arrival. Both of the secondary residences in the city are to be refurbished and made ready for habitation, and defenses brought up to standard. We are also advised that the Holy Church will be sending an envoy and who will arrive ahead of Lady Valkolumi's arrival. Lady Valkolumi expects that we will treat said envoy with due courtesy."

Rin and Sakura looked at each other. "…did the telegram say who the allies our mother managed to pull together are?" Sakura asked after a moment.

"Yes, my lady." The maid said with a bow of apology. "From the Department of Mineralogy, there is your cousin, Lady Luviagelita Edelfelt…"

"Luvia's coming?" Rin and Sakura asked in chorus.

"…that is correct, my lady." The maid answered after a moment recovering from the interruption, and the twins grinned from ear to ear. "…from the College of Law, there is Enforcer Bazett Fraga McRemitz, Keeper of the Fragarach, from the Department of Archaeology Grand Magus Touko Aozaki…

"OH. MY. GODS." Sakura said with eyes wide with awe and excitement. "_The _Touko Aozaki is coming here? The one who became a Grand Magus at the age of twenty?"

"Who did the impossible and revived the Art of Puppetry from the decline it's been in since the Renaissance?" Rin followed through, her eyes also wide and alight with awe and excitement. "And who not only managed to fend off repeated efforts worldwide to enforce her sealing designation for _years_, but also managed to make it so costly the Clock Tower actually revoked it?"

"_That _Touko Aozaki?" the twins chorused once more.

"I-I believe so, my ladies." The maid said after sharing a concerned glance with Satomi.

The twins pawed and babbled in Finnish at each other in an effort to calm down, before finally linking arms and holding hands, squeezing each other's fingers tight. "Anyone else?" they asked.

"Um…yes…! There are a few others." The maid said with a cough. "Well, two other significant personages. From the Department of Spiritual Invocation, Lady Reines El-Melloi Archisorte, and from the Department of Modern Magecraft Theories, Lord Waver El-Melloi II."

"…Lady El-Melloi and her chief flunky, huh?" Rin said. "I've heard of Lord El-Melloi II, he's said to be the greatest instructor the Clock Tower has in this day and age. But…"

Sakura nodded in agreement. "Yeah," she said. "Between our dear cousin and Grand Magus Aozaki…"

The twins shrugged in unison, throwing their hands up in a 'what can you do' fashion. "It's like comparing a candle to the Sun." they chorused.

Again, the maids looked at each other worriedly. "Will they be bringing staff of their own?" Rin asked.

"Ladies Luviagelita and El-Melloi have indicated they'll be bringing small households with them." The maid said. "Lord El-Melloi II has only brought his aide with him, while Enforcer…McRemitz, has come alone, as has Grand Magus Aozaki."

"We'll have to keep all that in mind then," Sakura said. "When it comes to preparing their accommodations, that is. That said, refurbishing both of the other mansions in a single day is going to be quite the challenge, to say nothing of bringing their defenses up to speed. We might have to skip school tomorrow."

"I don't like it either, but we might not have a choice." Rin said with a sigh. "I only hope mother will understand when she hears about it."

"I'm sure she will." Sakura said. "Needs must, after all. Besides, even if we did go to school and left it all to the staff, she'd be even angrier that we didn't at least personally oversee the refurbishment, to say nothing of helping out."

"That's true." Rin agreed. "On another note…does the telegram mention when the Church envoy will arrive?"

"Yes, my lady." The maid said with a nod. "She should be arriving from Rome at noon tomorrow at the earliest."

"And their name?" Rin asked.

"Sister Caren Ortensia," the maid said with a bow. "The telegram also mentions that Sister Ortensia will introduce herself to the both of you before rendezvousing and lodging with Father Kotomine."

"Then we'd best get things moving in the morning," Sakura said. "Before heading back here around noon, to meet with the envoy."

"So it would seem, Sakura." Rin said before sighing. "In the meantime, we'll study these dossiers. Looks like we might not be getting any sleep tonight."

"I'd suggest a cutoff time at say…midnight?" Sakura immediately disagreed. "We need to get some sleep, otherwise we'll wear ourselves out completely come tomorrow morning. If we did that, then we wouldn't be at our best, and we need to be at our best, considering how busy we're going to be."

"…not to mention we'll be meeting with a VIP from the Church…" Rin said with a slow nod. "…I see your point. We'll do as you suggest, study these dossiers until midnight, and go to bed for some rest before getting back to work tomorrow."

Sakura nodded at her twin before looking back to the maids. "Have the dossiers been forwarded to our mother as well?" she asked.

"They have been, yes." Satomi answered. "I thought it only expected of me, given the regular updates sent to Lady Valkolumi ever since her departure."

"Hmm…true…" Sakura admitted.

Rin nodded. "I agree." She said. "Well done, Satomi-san."

"Thank you, my lady." Satomi said with a bow. The twins nodded at her, and then Rin was speaking again.

"We'll start looking over those dossiers you provided us." She said. "In the meantime, please bring us coffee and biscuits, to keep us going with until midnight."

"Yes, my lady." Satomi said with another bow, her fellow maid doing likewise next to her. "I'll bring them up as soon as possible."

"Thanks, Satomi-san." The twins chorused, already starting to lift the dossiers from the tray. The maids bowed themselves out in silence, leaving their mistresses to work in peace.

* * *

Birds twittered in the cool morning air, before flying off into the skies. Sunlight shone down over the expanse of Fuyuki City and its suburbs, shafts of light lancing through gaps in the trees' canopies, their leaves coloring with the passing days of autumn.

"Emiya-san," Hikaru said as he walked into the living/dining room after Taiga had gone for the day. "Thanks again for the new clothes."

"You're welcome." Shirou said, glancing over a shoulder from where he was washing the dishes.

"What happened to the Tohsaka twins?" Hikaru said, sitting down at the table and removing the plastic cover placed over his breakfast.

"Ah…they're busy today." Shirou said. "In fact, they're going to be skipping school."

"…something's happening, isn't there?" Hikaru worriedly asked.

"Their mother's coming back from London." Shirou said. "And she's brought some friends with her. So they have to make things ready for them. They also said once their mother and allies arrive, we should be able to take some risks."

Hikaru snorted and nodded. "Yeah, I can see why." He said. "If it's just my grandfather against the twins, then it wouldn't be anywhere near a fair fight for them. He'd put them down and walk over their corpses, before dragging me off like he's always planned to. But once Missus Tohsaka and her friends arrive, if my grandfather tried to throw his weight around, he'd be the one to get buried six feet under."

"Hmm…kind of…" Shirou said, and looking over a shoulder. "…from what I understand, even with Aunt Valkolumi and her friends, if things got hot between them and your grandfather, the latter's old and powerful enough to stalemate them. They wouldn't lose, but they might not win either."

Hikaru hummed before taking a bite of his breakfast. The conversation stilled for several minutes, Hikaru eating his breakfast while Shirou washed the dishes. "Thank you for the meal." Hikaru politely said after finishing. Shirou nodded at him over a shoulder, and then Hikaru was leaning back. "Even if Missus Tohsaka and her friends aren't guaranteed to take my grandfather down if he decides to be all big and bad, that's only if he focuses on them, right?"

"Pretty much." Shirou said. "That's why we should be able to take some risks. Like say…contacting your parents, and putting a guard around them. Even if your grandfather found out and tried to go after them to get to you, he'd be weakening himself, enough that Aunt Valkolumi and her friends could take him down for good."

Hikaru sighed. "I really hope that's the case, Emiya-san." He said. "If only for my mother's sake…and I also hope I can go home soon. No offense…"

"None taken." Shirou reassured Hikaru. "If nothing else, getting you home safe and sound from here on out is the only way to resolve this incident properly."

"Yeah, the twins said that too." Hikaru said before sighing again. "That said, I don't think things will ever go back to normal even after this…incident, gets resolved."

Shirou was silent for a full minute, the only sound to be heard being the birds outside, and a cloth wiping the dish he was holding dry. "Nothing stays the same." He finally said in a soft voice. "Everything changes as time passes them by. All we can do is keep up, and not get left behind."

Hikaru snorted again with a wry smile. "That last two things you said mean the same thing, Emiya-san." He said.

Shirou snorted and smiled himself. "Yeah, I know." He said.

Hikaru sighed. "I know things wouldn't have stayed the same even if my grandfather didn't have me kidnapped." He said. "But…nothing like this…I just wanted a normal life, with normal changes over time…you get what I mean, right?"

"Yeah, I do." Shirou said, rinsing his hands before drying them, and then walking over. "But…I hate to sound uncaring or something…but what we want and what we get in life aren't always the same."

Hikaru sighed again. "…I know." He admitted. "I guess all I can do is try and live as normal a life I can have even after this, right?"

"Looks that way," Shirou said with a nod. "Though, about that…ever think of learning magic yourself? I mean…you don't have to be a magus, just a spell-caster…someone who uses magic for mundane reasons…like say making sure anything like this doesn't happen again…or something like that…"

Shirou trailed off uncomfortably, and Hikaru laughed. "That wasn't a very convincing recruitment speech, Emiya-san." He said with a grin.

"I wasn't trying to…oh, never mind."

The two young men shared a laugh. "What are your parents like?" Shirou asked. "I mean…you've told us before that your mom was a delicate person but…I'm sure that's not all there is to her."

"Of course not," Hikaru said, before glancing at a clock on the wall. "But while I'd love to tell you all about my parents, maybe we should do that later. I wouldn't want to make you late, Emiya-san."

"Good point," Shirou said with a nod, and then getting to his feet. "Well then, I better get going. You'll be fine by yourself, right?"

"The past few days prove that, don't they?"

"Guess so…see you later, Matou-san."

"Hmm…see you later, Emiya-san."

* * *

"How's it going on your end?" Rin asked her twin about half past noon, as Sakura returned to the Tohsaka property. Well, technically there were _three _Tohsaka properties in the city, at least ones not rented out to various businesses and individuals for fair and reasonable prices. One – the 'primary residence' – was where the Rin and Sakura lived with their mother, and had been the home of the Tohsaka lineage of magi for centuries.

At least, the grounds were: the original mansion burned down during the Third Holy Grail War over sixty years ago. The mansion that now stood on the property was built after said war, though completion had been delayed by the economic difficulties and social upheavals that resulted from Japan's involvement and defeat in the Second World War.

The other two properties – the 'secondary residences' – actually originally-belonged to the Edelfelt lineage of magi, but following the marriage between Tokiomi Tohsaka and Valkolumi Edelfelt, both properties were formally transferred to the Tohsaka, or rather, the new Edelfelt-Tohsaka branch line. Even then, both properties had enjoyed regular preventative maintenance and had their real estate taxes paid for by Tokiomi's father, his wife (and Tokiomi's mother) being one of two Edelfelt Masters who had fought in the Third Holy Grail War.

In short, both properties already _de facto _belonged to Tohsaka even before their formal assimilation into the greater Edelfelt lineage of magi. _De jure _belonging came with Tohsaka's formal assimilation and recognition as an Edelfelt branch family.

"We've managed to get rid of all the dust." Sakura said, having drawn the short stick in the selection by lot earlier in the morning. Rin got the 'easy' assignment, that is the secondary residence literally across the street from the family's primary residence. In contrast, Sakura had to oversee the refurbishing of the secondary residence across the city, not far from Kotomine Church. "And we've managed to bring most of the furniture out of storage. We should be done on that end before the afternoon ends. What about you though?"

"About the same as you." Rin replied as they walked back towards the Tohsaka mansion. "Though we're having trouble getting the fountain in the yard working, and prettying up the gardens will take at least the whole week to finish."

"Huh…I'd say we're in the same boat when it comes to the gardens." Sakura said. "Though the fountain in our yard's working just fine."

"Lucky you." Rin grouched.

"Want to change places?" Sakura offered.

"No thanks," Rin said. "We both have differences in style when it comes to running things. Subtle, true, but they're there. Switching places will only confuse our staff."

"True enough." Sakura agreed. "On another note, we're about halfway through replacing the drapery, and should be finished by this evening."

"Just in time for the deliveries of consumable stocks to arrive, huh?" Rin asked.

"Pretty much," Sakura agreed. "Electricity, gas, phone services, and the plumbing all seem to be working fine."

"Same on my end," Rin said with a sigh. "Looks like the only real hiccup is the fountain. I guess I should be thankful that's the only problem, but still…I'm greedy aren't I?"

"Hmm…maybe…" Sakura teased. "…but if you are, then so am I."

"In what way?" Rin asked.

"We're reflections of each other, aren't we?" Sakura asked, pausing in the mansion foyer. Rin hummed, smiled, and finally shrugged.

"Yeah, we are." She agreed, and sharing a grin with her twin. "Come on then. Let's go have some lunch while we're waiting for Sister Ortensia."

"Yes, let's."

* * *

Rin and Sakura stared. Caren stared back.

Rin and Sakura's eyes were wide with surprise and disbelief. Caren's eyes were relaxed and unconcerned.

Rin and Sakura pointed at Caren as one. "You're a kid!" they chorused.

Caren raised an eyebrow. "So are you two." She serenely replied.

"…that's…" the twins chorused, trailing off as they found themselves unable to provide a proper rejoinder.

Caren nodded as though in understanding. "Just as age has no bearing on being magi," she said. "So too does it have no bearing on being an exorcist. Shall we get down to business?"

The twins visibly fumbled, and then audibly giving up in exasperation, gestured for Caren to sit with them around a table. A maid walked forward, and placing a tea set on the table, poured tea for them all before bowing and stepping back.

"I shall get to the point." Caren said before taking a drink. "The Holy Church fully supports Edelfelt-Tohsaka in your current endeavor to end Heaven's Feel once and for all. As this is now also officially an Association-backed operation, our cooperation will be of a subdued note, and you and yours will be expected to take the lead in this matter. Regardless, our support – within reason – is guaranteed."

Rin and Sakura drank their tea while silently absorbing Caren's words. "I'm grateful to hear that." Rin finally said, slowly tapping a finger against the coffee table. "Though I find myself curious: my family and your organization have a long history of…amity, between us, born of our…history, going back to the _sakoku _and again throughout Heaven's Feel's iterations."

"You speak of your family previously being secret Christians during the Tokugawa Shogunate," Caren said. "And your…scrupulous, following of the rules of Heaven's Feel."

Rin just hummed while taking a sip of her tea. "I have received no instructions on that matter." Caren continued before taking a drink herself. "Personally, I do not believe in the idea of burning bridges simply because of changing circumstances. There has to be reason and rationality such a…drastic, decision."

Again, Rin hummed while taking another drink. "I share that opinion, sister." She said.

Caren gave a serene smile in response. "Then I am glad we are able to understand each other." She said.

Rin smiled back, though next to her Sakura still kept her face neutral. "I'm rather curious, sister." She said. "Surely you did not just come here to deliver such a message, no matter how reassuring they are."

"Indeed I am not." Caren said with a nod. "I am also here to provide support for Father Kotomine in the performance of his duties."

"That only makes me even more curious." Sakura said. "Father Kotomine is a former Executor, and a fairly-reputable one at that."

"But one who has served in no combat missions," Caren firmly said. "Or undergone performance evaluations, for over a decade. While I am confident in Father Kotomine having done what he could to maintain his skills, and he retains his experience from before leaving active duty as an Executor, I dare to say he is not quite on the same level as he used to be."

"…fair enough." Sakura said. "I'd question if someone as young as you could properly make up for Father Kotomine having gone to seed…but I see no need to return to that topic, do you?"

"Indeed I do not." Caren said with a nod.

"So what now?" Rin asked before taking another drink.

"I will proceed to Kotomine Church, and meet with Father Kotomine." Caren said with a shrug. "We will discuss private matters with regard to Church affairs, and how we will proceed with supporting your endeavor. And of course, settle in."

"You'll be staying at Kotomine Church I assume?" Rin asked.

"Indeed I will." Caren said with another nod. "If that was meant as an invitation to lodge at your residence, then I am grateful for the offer, but I must decline. Please accept my apologies."

"No, it's no trouble at all." Rin said.

Caren nodded and then finished her tea. "If there is nothing more…?" she asked, and both Rin and Sakura got to their feet, Caren following suit.

"Even if you aren't going to be lodging with us on a regular basis," Sakura began as she and Rin walked Caren from the sitting room back to the front. "Should you have any reason to come and stay as a guest, then our doors are open to you."

"I am grateful." Caren said. "And I may just take you up on that offer, Magus Tohsaka."

Sakura smiled lightly. "Please," she said. "Call me Sakura."

"And call me Rin." Rin said.

"Very well then…Rin, Sakura," Caren said with a nod. "Please call me Caren as well."

Rin and Sakura's smiles widened further, though the rest of the walk to the front was done in silence.

* * *

"Good afternoon, father." Caren serenely said. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Caren…" Kirei said, all the while fighting to keep his eye from twitching. This was…unforeseen. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to assist you." Caren replied.

"…I'm happy to hear that you'd be willing to…share, the burden of being the Overseer of the Holy Grail War." Kirei said after a moment, and struggling to keep from sounding and looking confused. "But really, there is no need. I have everything in hand."

"I'm sure you do, father." Caren said with a nod. "However, I am not here to assist you in enforcing the rules of the Heaven's Feel contest."

"…then what are you here to assist me in?" Kirei asked after a moment, now sounding ever so confused.

"Why, I am here to assist you in ending it, of course."

"…what?"

"Ah…I see. So Missus Edelfelt-Tohsaka did not inform you?" Caren innocently asked. "Or her children, for that matter? How very curious…"

Kirei was feeling…confused. There was also this sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, that he'd missed something important, and that a certain trio of blonde hyenas had managed to pull the wool over his eyes.

And yet…despite that…

…he should be feeling angry and betrayed, except he wasn't.

That was…unexpected.

"_…is this…karma, for betraying and murdering my teacher?_" Kirei silently asked himself. "_If so…the Lord has quite the sense of irony._"

"…light of the malfunction at the end of the last Heaven's Feel ritual," Caren was saying. "Along with the apparently-early beginning of the next ritual…"

"_It wasn't a malfunction._" Kirei absent-mindedly corrected, though he still had enough control not to say it out loud. Even if she was his daughter, there were some things Caren didn't need to hear or know about. "_I wished for everyone around me to die, and the Grail granted my wish…by blowing up half the city. Ironically, Kiritsugu Emiya who was right next to me managed to avoid getting killed by the blast…somehow…_"

"…and so here I am." Caren concluded.

Kirei pinched the bridge of his nose. He'd heard everything Caren had said, but his state of mind was such that he was a second or two behind when it came to understanding much less responding to her words.

"So…my reliability is in question because of my past association with Tokiomi Tohsaka?" he finally asked.

"Yes, that is correct." Caren serenely answered.

"And you are here to ensure my…compliance, with the Church's orders to assist Valkolumi Edelfelt-Tohsaka and her clique's move to end Heaven's Feel?" Kirei asked again.

"Yes, that is also correct." Caren serenely answered once again.

Kirei fought the urge to palm his face. They – the Church hierarchy – actually sent his daughter to make sure he wouldn't go against their agenda. As if the bonds of blood actually mattered to him, and would stop him from using the Grail to reach God, and ask Him that one question which had always haunted Kirei: why?

Even if she was his daughter, if Caren got in his way, he'd kill her in a heartbeat.

…

…

…

…

…

Right?

"…I'm not saying I will not comply with the Church's directive," Kirei delicately said. "But…assuming I do not – academically-speaking – what are your instructions thereof?"

"I am to report your treachery and await assistance and/or further orders." Caren said.

"…that's it?" Kirei asked.

"Yes, that is correct." Caren said with a serene nod.

This time, Kirei really did palm his face. The Church…certainly had a great deal of confidence in Caren. That, or they were underestimating his ruthlessness, his amorality, and his lack of regard for what other people called family.

After all, did he not lament Claudia not because she had died, but because he had lost the chance to kill her himself?

Did he not cast Caren aside as a babe due to his inability to raise her properly?

And now that she stood once more before him, looking so very much like her mother…

…was this not his chance to wrap his hands around her neck, and squeezing, savor the sensation of killing his own family, and her feelings at being betrayed and murdered by her own father?

It would be so easy…

…just a few steps forward…

…and…

Kirei sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose again. The thoughts were there, but they lacked…substance.

_How very curious…annoying too…but less so than I expected…_

_…but more curious than anything else…_

_…what is this?_

"I'm sure you're tired from your long journey." Kirei said with a very insincere smile. "Shall I show you to your room so you might rest and freshen up?"

"Thank you, father." Caren said with a beaming smile, and again Kirei felt that sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. "That is a most wonderful idea."

"Follow me, then." Kirei said, leading the way while Caren followed after him. "While you are settling in, I shall go and prepare a light meal for the both of us."

"That is also a wonderful idea, father." Caren agreed behind him.

"I'm sure it is." Kirei said before making an exasperated thought. "_I need a fucking drink._"

* * *

A/N

Poor Kirei (not really, he deserves it), Caren's only just arrived, and she's already driving him nuts.


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Snow White and Her Children

Chapter 8

Caren stared.

The blonde boy with red eyes stared back.

Caren blinked.

The blonde boy smiled and waved up at her. "Hello," he cheerfully greeted her. "My name's Gilgamesh, but you can just call me Gil if you want. It's nice to meet you, pretty lady."

"…my, my," Caren said after a moment. "Aren't you a charming little boy? Gilgamesh, yes? As I recall, that's the name of a legendary god-king from Ancient Sumer. What an interesting character you are, to be named after such a figure. There's a lot of expectations to be met with such a name."

Gil laughed childishly while rubbing the back of his head. "Um…I think I already met those expectations." He said. "Well, you see, pretty lady, I'm not named after Gilgamesh. I _am _Gilgamesh. The King of Heroes of Ancient Uruk, the first ever hero in Human history…I'm not a god, though, even if mother _was_ a goddess. And I wouldn't want to be one either."

Caren smiled. "Indeed," she said, and crouched down to adjust the collar of the Gil's jacket. "You're quite a precocious little boy, you know that?"

Gil tilted his head, realizing he was being humored, and that Caren wasn't taking him at his word. "It's true, though." He said, before a waving an arm vaguely. "I really am the King of Heroes. See?"

Caren stared again as portals opened, and Noble Phantasms slid out in part, as though extending themselves for Gil's selection and handling at his leisure. To her credit, she didn't freak out, and indeed, quickly realized what was going on.

"…as I recall the Fourth Holy Grail was about…nine years ago, yes?" she finally asked. "You were summoned as a Servant?"

Gil nodded, smiling at Caren's perception and self-control both. "Yup!" he said.

One of Caren's eyes twitched. "Your Master actually sent a boy, being a Servant or rather a Heroic Spirit aside, into battle?" she asked with a dangerous tone.

"Oh no!" Gil quickly clarified. "Tokiomi didn't summon me as I am now. He actually summoned as my adult self. I just look like this because I used one of my treasures to become younger, in order to save prana. Though, you should really be thankful for that. You wouldn't really want to meet my adult self as he was summoned."

"And why not?" Caren curiously asked.

Gil looked down, and actually kicked at the ground in frustration. "My adult self…he's not very nice." He admitted. "He's really bad tempered, and selfish too. He thinks the world is all about him, and nothing matters unless he says otherwise. I mean…I get being a king means you have to keep up a certain image, that you have to be aloof and detached to make the decisions that need to be made…but still. He's…a jerk."

Gil paused, and sighing, looked up into the ceiling with a sad expression on his face. "Then again," he continued. "Tokiomi summoned my adult self too soon after Enkidu died. Losing your one and only friend…maybe it's not that surprising that my adult self is so angry at the world. I mean…who would appreciate having to fight for something so useless as the Holy Grail, when they should be mourning their friend?"

"…I see." Caren said, still struggling to wrap her mind around what was said. After a moment, she reached out, and placing a hand on Gil's shoulder, squeezed reassuringly. "For what little it is worth, I am sorry for your loss."

Gil smiled and nodded. "Thanks, pretty lady!" he said.

Caren smiled back. "My name is Caren Ortensia." She said. "But you can just call me Caren, Gil-kun."

"OKAY!" Gil said with a grin. "That said, Caren-san, you're a good person, right?"

"I would say it is not my place to make that judgment," Caren said, masking her surprise and confusion at this turn in the conversation. "But I do endeavor to prove myself to be such a person when the time comes for judgment to be passed."

"GREAT!" Gil said before grabbing Caren's hand. "I need your help with something."

Curious despite herself, Caren allowed the boy-king to drag her off across the church interior, towards a door which led into the cellars and other underground spaces of the church. "I'd do something about this if I could," Gil continued while dragging Caren along. "But…my adult self, deep down, is keeping me from doing just that. Which is really strange, to be honest, as normally he wouldn't allow something like this to happen. Well, I don't think he really approves either, it's more that…well, he doesn't care, and it does keep us in the World. Like I said…really selfish…I don't know how I end up like him…"

"…what exactly do you mean?" Caren asked as they arrived in front of the door. "What exactly do you want me to do? What is happening down there that disturbs you so, Gil-kun?"

Gil visibly fidgeted on his feet. "…you'll see soon enough." He said. "I can only hope you truly do seek to be a good person."

And then he opened the door, and Caren gasped and shuddered at the maleficent and mephitic air that poured forth. Taking a deep breath, Gil let go of Caren while stepping into the darkness beyond, wordlessly offering her the choice to follow and face the evil beneath, or to remain ignorant and inactive above the ground.

Despite the boiling of her blood, Caren made her choice. Following in the boy-king's footsteps, she stepped into the darkness, and descended into the depths.

* * *

Kirei was feeling rather pleased with himself, returning to his church after visiting one of his few parishioners in the city, who'd asked him to bless a car they'd recently purchased. Truth be told, Kirei was rather skeptical if it would do the man any good, considering that God didn't seem to really care one way or another about the little mortals scurrying about like ants on the face of the planet.

After all, if God was indifferent about him, a man who could only take pleasure and delight in the suffering of others, why would He care about just another man, blessing or no blessing?

But, if he – Kirei – took delight in the suffering of others, who was he to deny others the comfort (no matter how hollow and meaningless it might be) of believing that their faith shielded them from accidents and other forms of misfortune? He'd learned much in decades of life, and among them was a keen appreciation of Human nature.

Perhaps that was why he was feeling rather pleased with himself this morning. Human beings – which he still was, no matter how twisted an example he might be – tended to relax and take comfort in routine, normal things.

Hollow platitudes they might be, but the familiar words and gestures of the prayers and benedictions that involved blessing inanimate objects were just that to him: routine, normal actions of his role in life as a priest of the Holy Church. Yes…it went a long way to…

…anchoring him, back into a sense of normality, after his daughter's unexpected return, to say nothing of discovering (Edelfelt-)Tohsaka's recent scheming behind his back.

He'd have to do something about the latter, he mused. But that was a matter for later. Right now though, it was almost noon, and he was all but certain Caren had prepared lunch for them both. No doubt something simple, but filling for all that.

While Kirei would have preferred a plate of the spiciest mapo tofu available, today he felt like humoring his daughter's cooking.

It was with a smile that Kirei entered his church.

Said smile vanished the moment he entered the church, as the foul stink of rotting corpses assaulted his nose. It wasn't an unfamiliar smell, of course, in fact he was quite used to them considering what he kept under his church.

But that was the crux of the matter: the smell of rotting corpses should stay _under _the church, and not fill it.

_What the hell is going on here?_

What little was left of Kirei's relaxed demeanor vanished as a familiar figure hopped down from a pew, the King of Heroes in his youthful form as a child dashing over to him…wearing a gas mask…made out of gold…

…Kirei really shouldn't be surprised.

"Welcome back, you fake priest." Gil cheerfully greeted Kirei. "We're going to need to find a new way to keep me in the World. Well, no…I can stay in the World just fine, but I can't use my Noble Phantasms without a source of prana…"

Kirei stroked a finger against a temple as a migraine began to build in his forehead. "King of Heroes…" he began. "What did you do?"

"Oh, I showed Caren-san the dead kids in the crypt." Gil said with a shrug.

"YOU DID WHAT?" Kirei shouted, his self-control slipping for just a moment.

"I showed her the crypt…" Gil said, only to trail off as Kirei ran past. "…I wasn't finished talking. Sheesh…you're lucky I'm not like my older self, he'd have ripped your guts out and fed them to you…"

Kirei ignored the boy-king's grumbling behind him, rushing through the church…

…and skidding to a halt in the atrium, couldn't help but let his mouth fall open. All the corpses of the children he'd buried alive under the church, and then kept on the edge of life and death to collect prana from their suffering, prana he'd used to ensure the King of Heroes would be able to use his Noble Phantasms if needed…

…they were all piled up in the atrium, smoldering and stinking to high heaven. Based on the subtle differences in the smell, it seemed someone – Caren, no doubt – had doused them with kerosene to try and burn them, to some success. Most of the rotting flesh was gone, while much of what was left was hissing and smoking, flames fitfully guttering here and there. Bones were black and crumbling, though some were still intact – if barely – and smoldered in the cool and humid air of autumn.

"…yeah, she could have done better setting up a funeral pyre," Gil admitted, walking up next to Kirei. "But it's not like she's had experience with setting one up before. So I told her to just do the best she could, and leave the rest to you."

…

…

…

…

…

Oh yes, there it was. The migraine…crushing the insides of Kirei's head in an excruciating yet ever so satisfying – as strange as it might seem – way between his temples.

"And where's my daughter now?" Kirei managed to ask.

"She's waiting for you inside the apartments." Gil answered with a shrug.

Letting out a long and weary sigh, Kirei pinched the bridge of his nose. Then he stalked off to find his daughter.

* * *

"Ah, father!" Caren cheerfully greeted Kirei on his entry into the – previously-empty – room she'd prepared for his return. "Please, come inside. There is much to talk about."

Again, Kirei could only let his mouth fall open, his head slowly turning to take in the room. The wallpaper, the curtains at the window, and the light fixings were the same as in the rest of the church, stark and utilitarian, as he preferred them. The rest of the room, though…

…a part of Kirei that wasn't stunned and reeling at how his world had practically fallen apart in the past couple of days clinically observed that Caren had very much outdone herself.

For starters, she'd taken several rugs from storage, and laid them out on the floor to add color to the room. She'd also taken one of the armchairs from the living room, along with a coffee table and a pair of smaller tables from storage, and put them in the room as well. In fact, she was sitting on the armchair right now, while a pot of tea simmered on the coffee table, next to a plate of sandwiches and a pair of teacups on saucers. One of them was even filled, for Caren herself, no doubt.

He had no idea where she'd gotten the portraits hanging on the wall, though, of…Sigmund Freud? Carl Jung? Where did she get those from? And on such short notice too?

The same went for the sunflowers in the porcelain vase by the window, and the plinth the vase was standing on. And the chaise opposite Caren, as well as the books on…psychology? Psychiatry? All sitting on the side tables next to Caren, one of them even open on her lap.

"…Caren…" Kirei managed to croak out. "…what…?"

"Rest assured, father, I do not blame you for what was under the church." Caren said.

_What?_

_She's not blaming me?_

_I don't…_

_…this isn't…_

_…this doesn't…_

_Eh?_

_Huh?_

_What?_

"…I understand, as a result of psychological trauma you endured from the Fourth Holy Grail War in particular its conclusion," Caren was saying. "You not only retained the Servant of the late Tokiomi Tohsaka after said conclusion, but you also sought to keep him combat-ready in the event you were forced into battle in the aftermath. To do so, however, you needed more prana than you could provide, and as a result…"

Kirei could stare and gape as Caren prattled on, somehow rationalizing his burying alive and horrifying torture of the orphaned children in his church as the result of someone suffering PTSD from the Fourth Holy Grail War, made worse by lingering emotional wounds from the death of Kirei's father Risei, and long before that, Kirei's own wife Claudia. There was also the influence of Tokiomi Tohsaka – an unhealthy one, according to Caren – which contributed to what Caren described as a partial mental breakdown.

"…after all," Caren concluded. "Someone as morally upright and faithfully devoted as you were before mother's death, could not and would not have done as you have were you in your right mind."

If they were living in a cartoon, Kirei idly mused, this was the moment when the lightbulb in his head representing his brain either fizzled out and died, or simply burst from an overload.

Caren gestured at the chaise invitingly. "Please, sit." She said. "The road to recovery will be long and difficult, but as the Lord taught us, it is not the quick and easy path that leads us to our just reward, but the long and difficult one. And the first step on the journey to recovery, reconciliation, and redemption, will be to admit and examine the difficulties and scars weighing us down."

If he could, Kirei would be palming his face right now. As it was, he only had enough energy to blankly shuffle over to the chaise, and sit down as his daughter had asked him to.

_I am totally done._

* * *

"MAMA!" Rin and Sakura chorused as they practically threw themselves at their mother. Valkolumi naturally caught them both in a welcoming embrace, like a mother hyena cuddling her cubs, though they quickly separated.

"Have you been well, the two of you?" she asked while adjusting her twins' hair. "All things considered, of course."

"Yes!" Rin and Sakura chorused again. "We've been just fine, thank you very much."

Valkolumi beamed. "I'm glad to hear it." She said, hugging her children again, before stepping aside.

"LUVIA!" the twins chorused again, and this time literally tackled their cousin to the ground before babbling away in Finnish. "It's been so long! How have you been? Have you had any adventures of a mission recently? What's the latest gossip at the Clock Tower? How are aunt and uncle both? The rest of the family in Finland? What about Marjatta? Is she doing well too?"

"…damn it, get off me you pair of Oriental hyenas." Luvia groaned as she pushed Rin and Sakura off of her. "Honestly…if I'd known you were going to be like this, I'd have brought Marjatta with me!"

"Then," Rin began while they all got to their feet.

"Why didn't you?" Sakura finished before adding. "If you had…"

"…we could have driven everyone else mad together!" Rin finished with a grin.

Luvia pouted with crossed arms. "Stop that." She snapped with more than a hint of jealousy. "You know I can't respond in kind unless Marjatta is here."

"OKAY!" the twins chorused, before latching onto their cousin's arms. "In that case, we'll show you to where you'll be staying at, it's just across the street. See you later, mama!"

Valkolumi indulgently waved at them with a hand. "Have fun, you three." She said.

"We will!" the three younger Edelfelts chorused before they hurried away, continuing to babble at each other in Finnish.

"Marjatta's just fine, thank you very much." Luvia said as they crossed the street. "More than fine, if you ask her. As you know, she recently just got engaged, and she's all lovey-dovey with her fiancé right now."

"Wait, really?" Rin asked. "But that was last year, wasn't it? The engagement, I mean. You're saying she hasn't gotten over the excitement yet?"

"No, she hasn't." Luvia said with a shrug. "You know how Marjatta is. Very romantic…as long as you don't get her blood boiling, of course."

"Well duh," Sakura said with a roll of her eyes. "She's an Edelfelt too. And we are what we are…"

The three cousins grinned as one. "…the most elegant hyenas in the world!" they chorused before breaking out into laughter.

"Something tells me that no matter how serious the situation is in this city," Luvia said as her laughter ran its course. "I'm going to enjoy this."

"All the way up to when we rip our enemies' throats out." Sakura said with vicious relish.

"Don't forget what comes next," Rin said with equally-vicious anticipation. "We'll strip their corpses of everything of value…"

"…and everything else they've owned." Luvia added just as viciously. "But enough about that…how about showing me around the residence?"

"No problem." Rin said.

"Let's start with the outer grounds first." Sakura continued.

"Unless you want to go inside, of course." Rin added.

"Hmm…" Luvia hummed in thought before giving a shrug. "…no, I think I'll let you take the lead here."

"Alright then!" Rin and Sakura chorused as they steered Luvia away from the path leading to the front doors, and instead cutting across the front lawn, began showing her around the grounds.

* * *

"Why am I getting a vague sense of déjà vu?" Lord Waver El-Melloi II dryly remarked, standing as he was in an elevator with his (adopted) sister, his aide, and his sister's familiar.

"I don't know." Lady Reines El-Melloi Archisorte remarked just as dryly. "Why are you getting déjà vu?"

"…that's…not really an answer, Reines." Waver replied.

Reines gave a miffed snort, and Waver sighed. Next to them, Grey and Trimmau stood silent and attentive, the former wearing her hood up. All the while, obnoxious elevator music continued to vomit out of the elevator's speakers, until finally the bell rang and the doors opened, allowing them exit into the Fuyuki Grand Hyatt's penthouse level.

"Trimmau," Reines absent-mindedly ordered. "Take our things to our rooms."

The mercury maid of a mystic code bowed and silently moved off, pulling and carrying all their luggage behind her. Meanwhile, Reines plopped down on a couch, taking off her beret before languidly pulling her gloves off. Waver, for his part, wandered off to the veranda, looking out through glass doors at the cabana and pool outside, as well as the observation decks looking out from the edges of the hotel rooftop.

Then he blinked, turning to face his aide as Grey stepped up to one side behind him. "Yes?" he prompted.

"Should I begin preparations to fortify Lady El-Melloi's atelier?" She asked. "Twenty-five bounded fields will take time to setup, even more so as we have to link them all together. To say nothing of setting traps and deploying spirits to reinforce our defenses."

Again, Waver was struck with a strange sense of déjà vu, but for some reason he just couldn't put a finger on why and what. "…prepare tea for Reines first." He finally said. "Trimmau is busy putting our clothes away, after all."

"Very good, sir." Grey said with a bow, and then hurried off. Waver took another look out the doors, and then sighing, moved to sit opposite Reines.

"Something on your mind, brother?" she asked, already regarding and smiling smugly at him.

"Why are we really here, Reines?" Waver answered after a moment. "There should be no pressing reason for you to leave the Clock Tower, much less to go to Japan and to Fuyuki of all places. And yet…here we are."

Reines smirked at her brother. "And like each and every time you've asked that question," she began. "I answer you once again: all in due course, brother."

"That is not a very comforting answer." Waver grumbled.

Reines' smirk turned mocking, even as she slid and laid herself out coquettishly on the couch. "Oh?" she asked. "Did you want me to comfort you, brother? You only ever had to ask, you know."

"_REINES!_"

* * *

"_How generous of Tohsaka to give me an entire mansion for my convenience while staying in their city._" Touko Aozaki mused as she followed a maid to where a room was suitable for her to set up shop in. "_Do they plan to buy my favor that way? Humph…I don't mind, I suppose, so long as I get what I want in the end. There is so much to learn._"

The maid bowed while showing Touko into the room, a pair of long worktables standing at its center and running along its length. LPG tanks stood under each end of the tables, held loosely but securely in place by iron girders, and hooked up to burners on the table by plastic tubing. Water pipes ran up from the floor and through the center of the tables, emerging into a trio of faucets per table.

Three more faucets sprouted from the far wall, this time paired with sinks. Ventilators sat silent along the wall above them, while on one side a whole wall was occupied with empty cabinets and shelves.

A fume hood sat in one corner, while on the near wall stools stood neatly stacked up against each other. Behind them a pair of corkboards were affixed against the wall, while on the wall opposite the shelves, there was a chalkboard running along its length.

"Very nice, very nice," Touko admitted. "Spacious, well-ventilated, with provision for water and fuel, even for the handling of toxic chemicals. Please pass my thanks to the Tohsaka family for their generosity."

"Yes, Lady Aozaki." The maid said with a bow.

Touko nodded. "You may go." She said with a dismissive hand gesture. The maid bowed again and left, leaving Touko alone while closing the door.

Turning back to the room, Touko strode over to the cabinets and shelves, and opening them found them empty but for a First Aid Kit sitting on one shelf. "_I'd be even more grateful if they at least provided me with basic reagents and other supplies._" Touko thought with mild disappointment. "_Then again, magi will be magi. Speaking of which…_"

Touko's eyes began to glow as she activated her Mystic Eyes of Enchantment, and swept out with her power. Her lips twitched into a smile as she found several basic and a few not-so-basic monitoring spells in her workshop-to-be, as well as in the rest of the mansion.

"_Well,_" she thought while deconstructing the spells in a moment and then neutralizing them in the next. "_I'd be disappointed if they didn't at least make a token attempt at spying on me. Magi being magi aside, the Edelfelt the Tohsaka belong to do have a reputation. Hyenas…well, at least it's a more honest analogy compared to other families…_"

Touko reached into her jacket, and pulled out a conductor's baton. She tapped it a few times against a nearby worktable, and moving her hands deliberately through the air, seemed to conduct in silence. All the while her irises flickered in sequential patterns, even as the tiled floor of the workshop seemed to twist and shimmer, flickering with kaleidoscopic patterns.

Then shapes began to emerge from the floor, one each in the four cardinal directions relative to Touko, even as her conducting movements grew stronger and faster, as though rising to a silent crescendo. Fractal patterns swirled and unfolded as the rising figures took on vaguely humanoid silhouettes, and then seemed to explode as her hands swept down, as though striking a final chord.

"Perfect." She murmured, as her workshop-to-be echoed and whistled with the sound of dozens of blades slicing and spinning through the air. And then she smiled, putting away her baton and stepping through the suddenly empty and silent room, to where she'd left her suitcase on the floor near the door.

Picking it up and laying it on a worktable, she opened it and began bringing out tools and supplies, along with mystic codes and writing and other materials. Then taking them bit by bit, began arranging them on shelves and cabinets, under the fume hood or just leaving them neatly lined up along the worktables or next to the sinks.

All in all, there was much work to be done, just setting up her workshop.

And that was _before _the real work could begin.

Yes, there was just so _much_ to learn.

* * *

A/N

Say hello to the King of Heroes…well, more Gil-kun than Goldie, since we're still a few months before the Fifth Holy Grail War is due to begin. So he's still stuck in his child form which he took after the Fourth Holy Grail War to save prana.

That aside, Caren continues to drive Kirei nuts (good, he deserves it), and everyone arrives. Ranging from Luvia, to the El-Melloi and of course, Touko Aozaki. Who is here to learn about so many things, as will be revealed in time.

And yes, it's canon that Reines flirts outrageously with Waver. It's not exactly clear if she's serious, though. Waver isn't very interested (or amused, for that matter), to say the least. Though to be fair, she's at least twenty years younger than he is, and she's still technically a minor at this point.


	10. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Snow White and Her Children

Chapter 9

"So…do I get to meet that charming Japanese peasant you've mentioned a few times before? Shero, wasn't it?"

Luvia and her cousins were lounging in a sitting room, plenty of tea and sweetmeats sitting on the coffee table. The former languidly stretched out on the couch, wearing only a loose and short-sleeved dress of white with blue accents, while the latter sat next to each other in armchairs and wearing their usual long-sleeved tops of blue over dark knee skirts and leggings.

"Close enough…" Rin said with a laugh.

"…it's actually _Shirou_, but yeah, like Rin said…" Sakura remarked.

"…close enough." Rin finished.

"Isn't he also your mother's apprentice?" Luvia asked.

"No, no." Rin said. "More a student, which is very different from an apprentice, as you well know."

"True," Luvia conceded. "If I remember right, he's the son of a spell-caster, right?"

Rin and Sakura looked at each other, wondering if Luvia knew more about Kiritsugu Emiya than she was letting on, and if so, why was she holding out. An unspoken conversation passed between the twins, and turning back to Luvia, gave her a deadpan look.

"You already know about Kiritsugu Emiya, don't you?" they chorused.

"…oh fine, you've got me there." Luvia said with a roll of her eyes. "Yes, I know all about him already. I looked into that charming peasant boy's background, and found that while he might be a nobody, his father was by no means a nobody. Spell-caster or not, Kiritsugu Emiya had a very impressive combat record, worth respecting for that alone. Mind you, though, he's made a lot of enemies. For instance, even if it was a Grail war, and no matter how impressive a heretic's son being able to defeat and even kill the previous Lord El-Melloi might be, his destruction of the El-Melloi Crest crossed quite a few people on a profound level. And those are just the most recent enemies the man's made, and that we know of."

"…we appreciate the warning." Rin said after trading another look with Sakura.

Luvia smiled warmly. "Don't worry about me or the rest of the family." She said. "It'd be different if it was our crest that was destroyed, but that's just it: it _wasn't_ our crest that was destroyed. And while it's an expected courtesy in our society to not deliberately target crests when magi fight other magi, well, collateral damage is an inevitability of war, even one as…small, and impious as Heaven's Feel."

"Long story short," Rin said. "These things happen in war."

"That we come off as unsympathetic because it wasn't our crest that was destroyed is just Human nature, I suppose." Sakura added.

"Indeed." Luvia said with a laugh, a laugh that Rin and Sakura soon joined in. "In all seriousness though, what have you been teaching that boy Shero?"

"Just the basics, really." Rin said. "Plus some rules and guidelines to make sure that if he does any experiments of his own – which he does – he doesn't make a public spectacle out of it. Or run too much of a risk of killing himself by accident."

"That," Sakura added. "And acting as a third party for him to get some reference materials through, all in exchange for a fair and reasonable professional fee, of course."

"Good service only has to be properly remunerated, after all." Rin piously said.

Luvia laughed. "Well, no arguments there." She said. "Still basics is a very broad term. Got any details you can share?"

The twins looked at each other, and then shrugged. "Sorry, Luvia." Rin began. "But unless Shirou becomes an enemy of our family, we can't in good conscience leak any details about his mysteries. Seeing as he's been a model tenant – so to speak – and a good friend thus far, it just isn't done."

"…hmm…fair enough, I suppose." Luvia conceded with a faint hint of disappointment.

"Of course," Sakura chimed in. "It's a completely different story if Shirou were to share what he's capable of with you. Extremely unlikely, I know, but if he does, well, that's his choice to make. Though…not so unlikely now that I think about it. Shirou's not likely to give out details like that unless he really trusts the person he's telling them to, and you're definitely someone we and by extension, Shirou, can trust."

"Well now," Luvia said. "I'm glad to hear such a vote of confidence."

"Well, duh." Rin said with a roll of her eyes. "You're our cousin, and we're your cousins too. In short, we're family. And if you can't trust your own family, then who can you trust?"

"Eh…" Luvia uncertainly began while scratching her head. "…we Edelfelt are an exception to the rule when it comes to that, thanks to Ore Scales, as you well know. And black sheep have popped up every once in a while in the past."

"True," Rin admitted. "But neither we nor you are among them."

"That is also true." Luvia agreed.

"That said," Sakura began. "Please don't call Shirou a peasant. He won't really mind beyond a bit of exasperated confusion, but as a point of fact, he's not actually a peasant. For one thing, his father left him quite a bit of land, prime real estate actually, and for another thing, he does have plenty of money. Though the latter is admittedly in a trust fund he won't have full control of until he finishes school."

"Also," Rin chimed in. "For all that he's a first-generation magus – he _is _adopted, after all – he certainly acts more like a gentleman than a certain scion of an ancient line that we could name."

"Ancient line?" Luvia echoed curiously. "A certain scion?"

"The Matou of Fuyuki are descended from the Zolgen of Russia…Kiev, I think they were originally from." Rin said. "Matou might only have been around for as long as the Tohsaka have been, but the greater Zolgen lineage they belong to has been around for as long as Edelfelt have been too."

"As much as I hate to admit it," Sakura reluctantly began. "They used to be a great and respectable lineage. Historical records actually point to their founder, Makiri Zolgen, being a peer to the likes of Paracelsus and Da Vinci. By all accounts, he was a brilliant man too, with noble goals and lofty ideals in life."

"But," Rin said with a nod. "That was a long time ago. And his descendants are nothing but a stain on his ancient legacy."

"…really?" Luvia asked, looking and sounding confused.

Rin and Sakura held up their hands, and projected the image of a smug-looking Japanese boy with violet hair and eyes. Luvia raised an eyebrow, as the boy's face wasn't exactly ugly, though his hair could certainly use a hairdresser's attention, and the smugness on his face was much too like that of certain spoiled scions that infested the Clock Tower.

"Exhibit A," Rin said. "Shinji Matou…"

"…loser…" Sakura added.

"…playboy…" Rin said in her turn.

"…thug…" Sakura continued.

"…bully…"

"…misogynist pig…"

"…irresponsible bastard…"

"…general all-around asshole…"

"…and a complete and utter jerk through and through." Rin finished.

"Contrast to this guy," Sakura said, before pulling up another illusion, this time of a dark-haired Japanese boy cheerfully playing with a football. Luvia could see a resemblance, no doubt related in some way to the Shinji Matou character she'd just heard about.

"Exhibit B," Rin began. "Hikaru Matou…"

"…polite…" Sakura added.

"…humble…" Rin said in her turn.

"…modest…" Sakura continued.

"…friendly…"

"…respectful…"

"…reasonable…"

"…pious…"

"…a very likable young man, all things considered." Rin finished. "If Shinji Matou is the epitome of how…degraded, Zolgen has become from when they once rubbed shoulders with the likes of Paracelsus and Da Vinci, Hikaru Matou seems to have all the nobility and honor that their family once possessed."

"…pious?" Luvia echoed dully.

Rin and Sakura shrugged. "Even though you'd expect him to be more worried about himself after his grandfather had him kidnapped," Rin said. "He's actually more worried about how it'll affect his parents."

"His mother especially," Sakura said. "From what he's told us, she's a very fragile person. Assuming that's not hyperbole, I can only imagine how she's handling the loss of her child."

"Probably not well," Rin said with a sigh. "You know how things are here in Japan. Don't make a fuss much less a public spectacle unless you really have to. Considering the NPA have put out a nationwide alert for Hikaru-kun…"

"…one or both his parents aren't handling it well at all." Sakura concluded.

"Their son got kidnapped." Luvia pointed it out. "I can hardly blame them for going all out. I mean…none of us here have children, but I imagine if any of us did and they got kidnapped, we'd go to hell to find them. And I know our parents would do just that if any of us got kidnapped."

"Point." The twins admitted.

A long moment of silence followed, and then Luvia gave a smile. "Well," she said. "With such glowing words from my beloved cousins, I'm looking forward to actually meeting Shero and this…Hikaru."

The twins smiled back. "I'm sure they'd be glad to meet you too, Luvia." They chorused.

* * *

"We're back!" the twins chorused as they waltzed into the dining room, where their mother was already waiting seated at her usual place.

"Welcome back, you two." Valkolumi said with a smile, before her expression turned ever so stern. "Did you wash your hands before coming here?"

"Of course we did!" Rin said.

"Really?" Valkolumi asked.

"Yes!" Sakura said, and after another moment Valkolumi's expression softened.

"Alright then," she said with a nod. "You can tell me all about everything I've missed while I've been away."

"Okay!" the twins chorused while taking their seats. Maids stepped forward to serve their dinner: rice, pickled vegetables, tomato and cabbage salad, grilled fish, and miso soup served with tofu and spring onions. "Thank you for the meal!"

Valkolumi deeply hummed with satisfaction as she took a long drink of her miso soup. "Ah…it's good to be back." She said as she placed her soup bowl back on the table. "There might be plenty of Japanese restaurants in London, but nothing beats home-cooked Japanese food."

"Except home-cooked Finnish food, of course." Rin remarked.

Valkolumi hummed in agreement, deftly picking up and using her chopsticks to start on her fish, taking small slices to eat with small clumps of rice at a time. "I had Finnish food all the time in London." She said. "Now that I'm back in Japan, I find it only proper to start off with some Japanese food for dinner."

"Well," Sakura said, also starting in on her fish. "We're not complaining. Eat what's on the table, and all that."

Valkolumi hummed in approval while resuming her meal. They ate slowly and leisurely, taking the time to savor their food but not so slow as to let it grow cold either. As they ate, Rin and Sakura explained all the goings-on in Fuyuki while their mother was gone, Valkolumi interrupting every now and then to ask a clarification of one kind or another. Similarly, Valkolumi told her children about the deeper goings-on in the Clock Tower while she'd been there, though naturally Rin and Sakura were politer in asking for clarification from her.

Once they'd finished their dinner, the maids took away the empty plates and bowls and dirty utensils, before serving dessert, cakes filled with red bean paste.

"Oh yes," Valkolumi began while setting down her cup of green tea. "You usually take the time to freshen up after dinner, don't you?"

"Yes, we do." Rin said. "Two hours at the sauna, including a half-hour of cooling down in the middle."

"Should we hold off on that for now?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, you should." Valkolumi said with a nod before narrowing her eyes. "You still have those lowlifes who kidnapped Shirou's guest, don't you?"

"Yes, we do." Rin said. "We've been keeping them locked up until you came back and made the final decision."

"Good," Valkolumi said with another nod. "Because they might just give us the chance to confirm beyond inference that the one behind all this is Zouken Matou."

"An interrogation?" Rin asked. "Huh…we've never watched or participated in one before."

"There's a first time for everything." Valkolumi said. "Though you'll only watch for now. Oh yes…Satomi?"

"Yes, my lady?" the maid asked, approaching with a bow.

"Invite my niece and Enforcer McRemitz to join us for the interrogation." Valkolumi said with a smile. "Tell them it won't be long, and it will be over quickly."

"Really?" the twins chorused in surprise.

"Oh yes." Valkolumi said with a nod and a smile. "Good interrogations don't usually last long…especially when dealing with lowlifes like the ones currently chained up in our basement. You will see soon enough, my dear children."

"We'll take your word for it, mama." Sakura said, Rin nodding in agreement next to her.

Valkolumi nodded. "Good," she said. "But for now, let's finish our dessert first."

"Yes!"

* * *

The interrogation room was an incongruous sight.

Well, the room itself had an appearance fitting its purpose. The floor was all ceramic tiles, gently sloping down to the corners and the drains therein. The walls and ceiling were plastered a stark white, the only light in the room coming from fluorescent tubes affixed to the ceiling.

There was a steel interrogation table and chairs, though both had been set aside against a wall for this. Instead, the freelancers that Rin and Sakura had captured several days ago when rescuing Hikaru had been stripped naked, and now hung by their wrists on iron chains affixed to a rack against the far wall.

That wasn't what was incongruous about the room though.

What was incongruous were the other people in the room. The maids for one, all in prim dresses of green with starched white caps and aprons. The twins Rin and Sakura, for another, dressed in casual, long-sleeved tops of blue over dark knee skirts and leggings. There was Luvia too, in her elaborate dress of blue with white accents, and the Enforcer Bazett Fraga McRemitz, wearing a serviceable business ensemble in brown.

Well, the Enforcer wasn't that incongruous, in hindsight.

Valkolumi was, though. She stuck out like a sore thumb, even, dressed in a kimono of pale pink with floral patterns in blue, red, orange, and yellow. Her obi was a rich orange, decorated with more floral patterns in violet and red, along with outlined maple leaves in gold. And yet for all that she seemed so very out of place, she dominated the room by her sheer presence.

"From what my daughters have told me, you have yet to be properly welcomed into our family's territory." Valkolumi began, tapping a fan of blue that tapered to white at the end against her chin. "So allow me to give you a belated welcome to Fuyuki City, for all that you do not deserve it. After all, have you not trespassed on our territory? Worse than that, you do so as accessories to crimes most foul, specifically that of kidnapping and Human trafficking."

Valkolumi began to pace, lowering her fan to tap it against the palm of her other hand at rhythmic intervals. "Were it just a case of upstart freelancers merely trespassing on our territory," she continued. "There would be no need for any unpleasantness. We could have discussed the formalities, paid and collected the appropriate fines, made the necessary records, and then gone our separate ways. But this goes beyond mere trespassing. It's not even just kidnapping or Human trafficking either. The parents of the boy you kidnapped? They've raised a nationwide alert through the NPA for the whereabouts of their son. And considering that you are…magi, at least in the most general definition of the term, and you were delivering him to a…client, in our territory, that makes me and my family responsible parties. One way or another, depending on when and how this incident is resolved."

Valkolumi came to a halt, and opening her fan masked the lower half of her face behind it. "No matter how this incident is resolved, however," she said. "Someone must take responsibility. I fully intend for your client and all his associates to be those individuals. That said, I am not unreasonable."

Stepping closer to one of the freelancers, Valkolumi snapped her fan shut, and leaned closer to look at the man in the eyes. "Tell me what I want and need to know." She said softly. "And I'll see that you all get a lighter sentence."

The man's response was to spit on her face. "If you want to talk to yourself, then go do it someplace else." He sneered. "And how about taking your half-breed brats and friends with you? Gods, this place stinks of sour milk."

Rin and Sakura looked outraged. Luvia and Bazett's faces hardened, while the maids just looked on stoically. Valkolumi, though, just leaned back.

"Thank you for volunteering." She said while wiping the spit off her face.

Then she walked over to the metal table against the wall, where she put on a pair of leather gloves. After that, she picked up some old newspapers and a bottle of kerosene, before returning to the man who'd spat on her face. The man's eyes widened in realization, and he squirmed and shouted in protest as Valkolumi wrapped the old newspapers around his crotch, and doused it liberally with kerosene.

Walking back to the table, she then peeled off the gloves and tossed them on the table, before picking up a pack of matches. Pulling out one match while heading back, she lit it with a single strike.

"Wait…WAIT…!" the man desperately shouted. "**I'LL TALK! I'LL TALK!**"

"And I'm glad to hear that." Valkolumi coolly said. "A shame you did not find your sense of reason sooner."

Then she tossed the lit match at the newspapers dripping with kerosene, which ignited with a loud whoosh that were drowned out by the shrieks and howls of agony from the man. Valkolumi, though, just stepped back with a frown, the stink of kerosene, burning flesh, and newsprint turned to ash tickling unpleasantly at her nose.

In the rest of the room, the maids just kept on looking stoically, while Luvia, Rin, and Sakura all looked on with morbid fascination. Bazett's expression though just returned to normal, as though she'd seen this before and wasn't particularly surprised or impressed by it.

Slowly but steadily, the flames died, leaving the man's lower body a mess of second and third-degree burns. Valkolumi picked up her fan, and paced before the remaining freelancers, all of whom now stared terrified at her, all of whom had pissed themselves, and one had even vomited his guts out.

"I'll do it again." She said simply. "As many times as it takes, until one of you nobodies tell me who hired you, when they hired you, how they hired you, and what they hired you for!"

The freelancers babbled away, Valkolumi taking in all their confessions with a cold expression on her face. And as they finished their confessions, Valkolumi lifted her fan, and swung it once.

"_Tuulen Salamurha!_" she cast. Lightning flashed blinding bright, briefly taking the form of a miniature dragon, and hurled itself against the man who Valkolumi had just burned the crotch off. Displaced air boomed and buffeted everyone in the room, but as the light died, only ashes and red-hot iron was left of the man. The freelancer next to him groaned and sobbed in pain, the heat bloom having left one side of his body covered in first and second-degree burns.

"For all your sakes," Valkolumi began. "You have better not been lying to me. Otherwise, that…"

At that, she indicated the pile of ashes on the floor and burnt into the wall behind with her fan. "…will have been merciful." She said, before turning to leave.

* * *

"Mama, that was awesome!" Rin gushed as they walked back up to the above-ground areas of the Tohsaka mansion.

"Yeah, I mean, when I think of fire and interrogation," Sakura began. "I imagine red-hot pokers or sticking feet into fire, not actually burning their, well, you know, off."

Luvia nodded eagerly. "Yeah, what Sakura said." She said.

Valkolumi paused, turning to regard the girls who looked curiously back at her. After a moment, she smiled, and then turned to Bazett. "Enforcer McRemitz," she began. "I assume you have training and experience in Enhanced Interrogation Techniques?"

"Of course." Bazett said with a nod.

"Excellent," Valkolumi said with a nod of her own. "Starting tomorrow, I want you to take these three, and give them a crash course in EITs. They're useful skills to learn, better sooner rather than later. On a similar note, evaluate their combat skills, and develop a curriculum to bring them up to speed. That said, implementation _will _wait for my approval."

"Understood, my lady." Bazett said with another nod.

"But we already know how to fight!" Luvia protested.

Then she blinked, suddenly and impossibly finding her aunt next to her, Valkolumi's fingers just touching her throat. And Luvia knew that in a real battle, Valkolumi wouldn't have stopped, and those same fingers would have been encased with lightning.

"_Fast…_" she thought numbly.

"If this were a real fight, you'd be dead." Valkolumi said while stepping back, and then regarding her equally-stunned daughters. "I know all of you know how to fight. Luvia, especially, seeing as she has actual combat experience."

Rin and Sakura looked miffed at that, while Luvia drew herself up in pride that no matter how no match she still was to her elders, she was still on her way to their level. "But none of you are really able to play with the big girls as of yet." Valkolumi concluded. "Not yet…but you do have the opportunity to make a big step towards being able to, here and now. Unless…you don't want to, of course. I can't and won't force you to if you don't."

"We're willing!" Rin and Sakura chorused while raising their hands, and Luvia snorted.

"Of course I'm willing too!" she snapped.

Valkolumi smiled. "Very good then." She said. "That's for tomorrow, though. Luvia, would you like to stay over tonight?"

"Yes, I'd like that very much." Luvia said with a curtsy. "Thank you for your hospitality, Aunt Valkolumi."

Valkolumi nodded, before regarding her children again. "Now then," she said. "Enforcer McRemitz and I need to look over a few things in private. The three of you can go ahead and freshen up, and take the first turn at the sauna. Or would you prefer to go straight to bed instead?"

"No!" Rin exploded, before grabbing her twin and cousin and starting to pull them along. "We'll take our time at the sauna, thank you very much!"

"See you later, mama!" Sakura said in passing.

"Thank you again, Aunt Valkolumi!" Luvia said as she let Rin drag her off.

Valkolumi waved them goodbye with a smile, and then turned to look at Bazett expectantly. The enforcer bowed in deference, and nodding back, Valkolumi led the way to her study.

* * *

"Sorry, Luvia." Rin apologized as she poured water onto a slab of stone affixed on top of an electric stove. The water hissed and flashed to steam from the heat, fogging up the inside of the sauna and causing the other Finns (well, one Finn and one Japanese-Finn) to languidly sigh at the relaxing moist heat. "I know wood stoves are the best for saunas, or in the case of electric stoves like what we have, many smaller stones allow for a more even heat compared to just a stone slab, but this is the best our parents could get."

"Oh it's no problem at all." Luvia said, stretching out on the bench and letting her muscles unwind in the steaming-hot air of the sauna. "A sauna is a sauna in the end, and better to have one than none at all."

"Hey," Sakura piped up. "I just got an idea, want to hear it?"

"What?" Luvia and Rin chorused.

Sakura grinned and clapped her hands together. "How about we all sleep in the same bed and room tonight?" she said. "It'll just be like old times! You know, back when we were still really young, and not just the three of us but everyone our age would build a 'fort' out of sheets and pillows, and huddle up together all night long!"

"Sakura, that was a long time ago." Luvia said.

"So that's a no?" Sakura asked.

"I didn't say that." Luvia said before turning to Rin. "What do you think?"

"I think it's a great idea." Rin said with a grin.

Luvia snorted, and then laughed. "Of course you would say that." She said, looking back and forth between her cousins, the three of them sitting naked on damp towels on a wooden bench running along the sauna's walls. "Good grief, we're not that old yet, so we really shouldn't be trying to reenact the best parts of our childhood."

"Oh, come on." Sakura said. "Don't be such a stick in the mud."

"I didn't say no, you know?" Luvia said with a wink. "Let's just say some things need to be said, especially considering my position. Shame Marjatta isn't here though, she'll be really jealous when she hears about this."

"…can our bed even handle four people?" Sakura asked Rin after a moment.

"I think so…about just…" Rin answered uncertainly before giving a sigh. "I guess there's no way all of our generation can huddle together like we used to."

"In bed, no." Luvia agreed before giving a smirk. "Visit in summer, and we can camp out in a single tent under the stars."

"Hey, that's a great idea!" Sakura said.

"I know, right?" Rin gushed.

Luvia laughed and sat back on the bench. "It'll be just like old times." She said. "But up to date with the times, so to speak."

Rin nodded sagely. "Agreed." She said.

"Yup." Sakura said in agreement. "We'll have to keep it in mind…maybe even as early as summer next year."

"Mmm~" Luvia hummed in anticipation. "Now there's an idea."

The three of them beamed at that.

* * *

A/N

Sorry for the lack of Shirou so far, but he should appear in the next chapter.

In all seriousness, I'm honestly surprised that Luvia hasn't been shown or mentioned in anything involving saunas in canon works, considering how ubiquitous saunas are in Finnish society and culture. Every house in Finland has one, and even the Finnish Army includes setting up a field sauna in its list of priorities when setting up camp.

So it really should not be surprising that in this story, the Tohsaka Mansion has a sauna. If Tokiomi hadn't installed one before he married Valkolumi, she'd have convinced him to afterward. And yes, it's open for staff use as well: traditionally, rank and status become meaningless when it comes to relaxing in Finnish saunas.


End file.
